🔗 Share this article

The star has handed over the entirety of his £25,000 honor cash to the Music Venues Trust, which works to preserve the Britain's small live music spots.

Fender was given the award on 16 October as his latest record People Watching was chosen as the best record of the last 12 months.

The musician has chosen to hand the money over to the Music Venues Trust, in appreciation of the essential function local spots played in his early career.

"As an artist wouldn't be doing my current career if it wasn't for all the shows I did around the North East, and beyond, when I was starting out," stated the artist. "These venues are renowned, but they are in difficulty."

Beginning in 2023, at least 150 of these locations have permanently closed – approximately one-sixth of the total UK scene.

In the last year, top acts including Pulp, Coldplay, Katy Perry and Sheeran have all aided the Music Venues Trust in its attempts to keep the scene afloat, by adding a small levy to their ticket costs, which goes to help smaller concert halls.

Sam Fender also took part, raising more than £100,000 on his live tour to support thirty-eight local spots across England, Scotland, and Wales.

The money supported spaces that were facing imminent closure due to challenges arising from floods, fire incidents and bereavements, as well as regulatory hurdles, legal disputes and noise complaints.

Other venues obtained financial assistance in improving facilities and technical equipment that positively impacted performers and fans.

"The idea that revenue from performances in major spaces supports the smaller venues, where it all starts for musicians like me, is just sensible," the star has commented.

He is far from the only musician to give his Mercury Prize funds to charitable organizations.

When they earned the trophy in the mid-90s for their record their work, frontman Cocker announced that the group would donate their prize money to the organization the charity.

That year, rapper and singer the artist split her bounty among several good causes, like the NSPCC and a Sickle Cell organization.

"I also gave a £1,000 to Highgate Newtown, to their gymnastics program, because I did gymnastics when I was growing up and they required better apparatus," Ms Dynamite explained to the media.

Two years ago, Ezra Collective contributed their funds to the youth organization that nurtured their group, alongside other independent music bodies.

And the 1994 recipients they contributed their winnings to a charity for MS after a close contact was identified with the illness.

"The victory was ample," stated artist Small. "The prize was the bonus but we didn't need the bonus, because we had the honor. So our success impacted somebody else's life."

In the past week, the trust announced it had rescued a couple of local spots in that region, by transferring them to public stewardship.

The Joiners in the city and The Croft in the city were bought under the Own Our Venues scheme, which is supported by the arts council and music fans who acquire "shares" in the venues.