Sam Fender has handed over the full amount of his £25,000 Mercury Prize winnings to the Music Venues Trust, which works to protect the United Kingdom's independent concert spaces.
Fender was presented with the cheque on 16 October as his latest record his work was declared the best record of the previous year.
Fender has decided to give the cash to the Music Venues Trust, in acknowledgment of the essential function local spots fulfilled in his initial steps.
"I personally couldn't be pursuing this success if it hadn't been for all the gigs I performed around the region, and elsewhere, when I was starting out," stated the artist. "These spaces are renowned, but they are in difficulty."
Beginning in 2023, more than 150 of these venues have shut down – approximately one-sixth of the entire UK sector.
Over the past year, major artists like Pulp, Coldplay, Katy Perry and Sheeran have all backed the MVT in its attempts to help venues survive, by adding a modest fee to their admission fees, which supports local stages.
Fender also joined in, raising in excess of £100,000 on his recent tour to support thirty-eight local spots across England, Scotland, and Wales.
The donation helped locations that were facing imminent closure due to difficulties arising from floods, fires and family tragedies, as well as permit problems, court cases and noise complaints.
Other venues received funding support in modernizing facilities and gear that helped musicians and fans.
"The idea that funds from performances in large arenas helps the local stages, where it kicks off for performers like me, is just common sense," Sam Fender has said.
The musician is among several artists to donate his Mercury Prize winnings to worthy causes.
In the band earned the award in the mid-90s for their release the album, frontman the singer stated that the band would give their cash to the charity War Child.
During 2002, rapper and singer Ms Dynamite shared her prize between multiple organizations, such as the children's charity and a Sickle Cell organization.
"And I contributed a £1,000 to the center, to their classes, because I trained in gymnastics when I was growing up and they needed updated gear," the artist told the media.
In recent years, Ezra Collective donated their prize money to the community center that nurtured their act, as well as other local music groups.
And winners that year they gave their award to a charity for MS after a acquaintance was diagnosed the disease.
"Winning was quite enough," stated vocalist the singer. "The prize was the bonus but we could do without the bonus, because we had the cake. So our winning impacted somebody else's life."
In the past week, the Music Venues Trust shared it had rescued a couple of local spots in the South East, by transferring them to public stewardship.
One venue in the city and the other in the city were acquired under the community ownership initiative, which is supported by Arts Council England and music fans who acquire "ownership units" in the venues.
