🔗 Share this article

Sam Fender has given the entirety of his twenty-five thousand pound Mercury Prize prize money to the Music Venues Trust, which functions to protect the United Kingdom's grassroots music venues.

He was presented with the award on 16 October as his new release the album was named the outstanding release of the last 12 months.

The musician has chosen to give the cash to the Music Venues Trust, in recognition of the vital role small stages had in his beginning days.

"I couldn't be pursuing this success if it wasn't for all the gigs I performed around the region, and further afield, when I was starting out," said Fender. "These locations are legendary, but they are facing challenges."

Since the start of 2023, at least 150 of these locations have shut down – about 16 percent of the entire UK sector.

Over the past year, well-known musicians including Pulp, Coldplay, Katy Perry and Ed Sheeran have all supported the trust in its initiatives to help venues survive, by adding a modest fee to their admission fees, which goes to help smaller concert halls.

Sam Fender also joined in, generating more than £100,000 on his recent tour to assist numerous small stages across England, Scotland, and Wales.

The money supported spaces that were dealing with potential shutdown due to difficulties stemming from flooding, blazes and bereavements, as well as permit problems, legal disputes and sound issues.

Other venues received monetary aid in modernizing infrastructure and technical equipment that helped musicians and concertgoers.

"The concept that money from shows in large arenas supports the smaller venues, where it begins for musicians like me, is just logical," the star has said.

He is not the first artist to donate his award funds to charitable organizations.

Back when the band earned the award in 1996 for their release the album, frontman the singer declared that the group would donate their prize money to the charity War Child.

During 2002, musician the artist divided her prize between several good causes, including the children's charity and a Sickle Cell charity.

"I also donated a grand to Highgate Newtown, to their gymnastics class, because I trained in gymnastics when I was a child and they required better apparatus," the artist explained to a publication.

Previously, Ezra Collective gave their winnings to the local youth club that supported their act, in addition to other grassroots music organisations.

Also winners that year the group gave their winnings to a charity for MS after a close contact was diagnosed the disease.

"The victory was sufficient," remarked vocalist the singer. "The prize was the bonus but we could do without the cherry, because we had the honor. So our success impacted another person's life."

Last week, the Music Venues Trust shared it had protected a couple of grassroots venues in that region, by bringing them into local control.

One venue in Southampton and The Croft in Bristol were acquired under the public acquisition program, which is funded by Arts Council England and music fans who purchase "ownership units" in the buildings.