The artist gives twenty-five thousand pounds cash award to independent music venues

Sam Fender accepting the award in the North East
The musician won the honor last month in his hometown

Sam Fender has handed over the entirety of his £25k honor cash to the trust for venues, which functions to preserve the Britain's independent concert spaces.

He was presented with the cheque on mid-October as his third album his work was declared the outstanding release of the past year.

Fender has decided to give the cash to the Music Venues Trust, in appreciation of the crucial part grassroots venues played in his initial steps.

"As an artist would not have achieved what I am doing today if it weren't for all the gigs I performed around the North East, and elsewhere, when I was starting out," said Fender. "These locations are renowned, but they are in difficulty."

Beginning in 2023, over 150 of these spaces have ceased operations – about 16% of the total UK scene.

In the last year, top acts such as the band Pulp, Coldplay, Katy Perry and Ed Sheeran have all backed the Music Venues Trust in its efforts to help venues survive, by applying a small levy to their ticket prices, which goes to help local stages.

He also took part, raising in excess of £100,000 on his recent tour to support thirty-eight small stages across England, Scotland, and Wales.

These funds helped locations that were confronting potential shutdown due to difficulties stemming from floods, fire incidents and personal losses, as well as regulatory hurdles, conflicts and neighbor objections.

Additional spaces were granted financial assistance in improving amenities and gear that directly benefitted performers and concertgoers.

"The concept that revenue from performances in large arenas backs the smaller venues, where it all starts for performers like me, is just common sense," the star has said.

The band Pulp performing
Pulp are among the artists who contributed their Mercury Prize winnings to charity

The musician is far from the only musician to give his award funds to good deeds.

Back when they earned the trophy in the mid-90s for their album their work, vocalist Jarvis Cocker stated that the band would donate their cash to the charity War Child.

That year, musician Ms Dynamite divided her bounty among a few charities, such as the children's charity and a Sickle Cell organization.

"Additionally, I gave a £1,000 to the center, to their gymnastics class, because I practiced gymnastics when I was a child and they needed new equipment," she shared with the media.

In recent years, they contributed their winnings to the local youth club that nurtured their group, in addition to other grassroots music organisations.

And the 1994 recipients they contributed their award to a MS organization after a acquaintance was diagnosed the illness.

"Receiving the award was ample," said vocalist the singer. "The prize was the extra but we didn't require the extra, because we had the main prize. So our success touched somebody else's life."

Recently, the Music Venues Trust shared it had protected a couple of grassroots venues in south-east England, by transferring them to public stewardship.

One venue in that area and the second in the city were bought under the community ownership scheme, which is supported by Arts Council England and supporters who acquire "shares" in the venues.

Peter Butler
Peter Butler

A technology strategist with over a decade of experience in gaming and betting software development.

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