Sam Fender has handed over the full amount of his £25,000 honor prize money to the Music Venues Trust, which operates to save the United Kingdom's independent music venues.
The star was awarded the cheque on mid-October as his new release People Watching was declared the best record of the previous year.
The musician has opted to give the cash to the trust, in acknowledgment of the essential function grassroots venues played in his initial steps.
"I personally wouldn't be doing what I am doing today if it weren't for all the performances I played around the North East, and elsewhere, when I was beginning," stated Fender. "These venues are legendary, but they are struggling."
Since the start of 2023, at least 150 of these spaces have shut down – about 16 percent of the whole industry in the UK.
In the last year, major artists including Pulp, Coldplay, the singer Katy Perry and Ed Sheeran have all supported the Music Venues Trust in its attempts to help venues survive, by including a minor surcharge to their ticket costs, which benefits smaller concert halls.
Sam Fender also took part, raising over £100k on his 2024 arena tour to assist 38 local spots across Britain.
The donation assisted spaces that were facing imminent closure due to difficulties stemming from water damage, fire incidents and bereavements, as well as permit problems, legal disputes and neighbor objections.
Additional spaces obtained financial assistance in improving facilities and technical equipment that directly benefitted musicians and audiences.
"The idea that money from performances in major spaces backs the local stages, where it begins for performers like me, is just logical," Fender has said.
Fender is far from the only musician to contribute his honor winnings to good deeds.
When Pulp received the trophy in the year 1996 for their release the album, lead singer Cocker stated that the band would contribute their cash to the non-profit War Child.
In 2002, musician the artist split her award between a few organizations, including the NSPCC and a Sickle Cell organization.
"I also donated a thousand pounds to my local community centre, to their classes, because I trained in gymnastics when I was growing up and they needed better apparatus," she explained to the media.
Two years ago, they donated their prize money to the youth organization that nurtured their group, as well as other independent music bodies.
Additionally the 1994 recipients M People gave their prize to a charity for MS after a close contact was identified with the condition.
"Receiving the award was sufficient," stated artist Heather Small. "The money was the bonus but we didn't require the bonus, because we had the cake. So our victory impacted the lives of others."
Recently, the MVT shared it had rescued two small stages in that region, by transferring them to local control.
The Joiners in Southampton and the second in the city were purchased under the community ownership program, which is supported by Arts Council England and enthusiasts who buy "ownership units" in the venues.
