Sam Fender has handed over the complete sum of his £25,000 Mercury Prize prize money to the trust for venues, which operates to preserve the United Kingdom's grassroots live music spots.
Fender was presented with the cheque on October 16 as his latest record People Watching was declared the best record of the previous year.
Fender has decided to hand the money over to the trust, in recognition of the crucial part grassroots venues had in his early career.
"As an artist wouldn't be doing my current career if it weren't for all the shows I played around the region, and beyond, when I was starting out," stated Fender. "These venues are legendary, but they are struggling."
Since the start of 2023, at least 150 of these venues have shut down – approximately 16 percent of the entire UK sector.
In the last year, top acts such as Pulp, Coldplay, Katy Perry and Ed Sheeran have all supported the trust in its initiatives to help venues survive, by including a modest fee to their admission fees, which benefits local stages.
Fender also joined in, raising over £100k on his 2024 arena tour to support numerous small stages across Britain.
The donation assisted locations that were confronting imminent closure due to issues caused by water damage, fires and personal losses, as well as permit problems, conflicts and noise complaints.
Other venues obtained funding support in improving facilities and gear that positively impacted performers and fans.
"The idea that revenue from shows in major spaces helps the independent spots, where it begins for musicians like me, is just logical," Sam Fender has stated.
The musician is far from the only musician to contribute his Mercury Prize winnings to worthy causes.
When Pulp received the prize in the year 1996 for their album the album, vocalist the singer announced that the act would contribute their winnings to the organization the charity.
In 2002, artist Ms Dynamite divided her bounty among several good causes, including the NSPCC and a Sickle Cell organization.
"Additionally, I contributed a £1,000 to Highgate Newtown, to their gymnastics program, because I trained in gymnastics when I was younger and they required updated gear," Ms Dynamite shared with outlets.
Two years ago, the band donated their prize money to the local youth club that developed their act, in addition to other local music groups.
Also winners that year they gave their winnings to a multiple sclerosis charity after a close contact was identified with the disease.
"The victory was quite enough," stated artist Heather Small. "The prize was the bonus but we didn't require the bonus, because we had the honor. So our victory affected another person's life."
In the past week, the trust revealed it had saved a couple of local spots in south-east England, by bringing them into local control.
The first in Southampton and the second in the city were bought under the public acquisition program, which is funded by the arts council and enthusiasts who buy "shares" in the properties.
