Tributes to Leicester 'punk mum' who inspired women to play in bands

Ruth Miller founded The Unglamorous music project

Tributes have been paid to a "loving punk mum" who inspired other women to play music.

Ruth Miller, from Leicester, was the founder of The Unglamorous music project, which taught women - even if they had no previous experience - to play instruments and form bands.

The 61-year-old mother of two died from breast cancer on 16 October.

Her daughter Izzy Cheney says people tell her stories about her mum and how she has changed their lives.

The Verinos was the first band formed from the music project

The aim of Unglamorous was to get older women playing gigs, and it had a challenge called 66 Days to your Debut.

Ms Miller, who was born in Newark, Nottinghamshire, and was a primary school teacher for 27 years, started the project in 2021 and it is now made up of 16 bands and more than 70 women.

Her daughter said: "People would go to the gigs and decide they wanted to do it."

Ms Cheney said her mum inspired her love of music

She added: "For me, she is the best mum ever. Then to hear all these people in Leicester call her 'punk mum', everyone has kind of been adopted by her.

"There are so many people who will tell me stories about my mum and how she has changed their lives. It is so moving. Everyone in the music industry in Leicester knows her name.

"She has done so much and always wanted people to love music."

The 21-year-old added she wanted to thank everyone who had been involved in her mother's life "because she completed everything she wanted to do".

"She did feel so content at the end - no regrets," she said.

Fellow bandmate Peggy O'Donnell said they played a lot of gigs together and Ms Miller "was great on stage and off stage"

Peggy O'Donnell, from Burbage, Leicestershire, who was in two bands with Ms Miller, said the last gig she played with her was on 10 September.

"She was jumping around stage - not long after she was in hospital," she said.

They played in Ruth's Refrigerator together in the 1990s and also in a band called The Verinos, which formed a couple of years ago and was the first Unglamorous band.

Ms O'Donnell said Ms Miller was a really talented singer and songwriter

The 55-year-old keyboard player said with the Unglamorous project, Ms Miller showed what a great teacher she was.

"She taught people who had never picked up an instrument before," she said.

"She was really kind and generous with her time... because she wanted to help women get into music.

"Now a lot of venues are full of Unglamorous women. We have reclaimed music - it is all Ruth's doing."

Ms O'Donnell, who played with Ms Miller in Ruth's Refrigerator in the 1990s, said: "We have lost her talent and also lost her as a friend"

She added: "I will remember her as a loving mother to her family - Izzy and Angus - and I will remember her as a loving punk mother to the Unglamorous women and a loving punk sister.

"She had talent but most of all she had heart and kindness, and she will really be missed."