The musician donates twenty-five thousand pounds cash award to independent music venues

Sam Fender has donated the complete sum of his £25k award winnings to the Music Venues Trust, which works to save the UK's grassroots concert spaces.

Fender was given the prize on mid-October as his new release People Watching was declared the outstanding release of the previous year.

Fender has decided to hand the money over to the trust, in acknowledgment of the essential function local spots played in his initial steps.

"As an artist wouldn't be doing what I am doing today if it wasn't for all the performances I performed around the area, and beyond, when I was just getting going," said the artist. "These locations are iconic, but they are facing challenges."

Since the start of 2023, more than 150 of these spaces have permanently closed – approximately one-sixth of the entire UK sector.

In the last year, major artists including the band Pulp, Coldplay, the singer Katy Perry and Ed Sheeran have all backed the Music Venues Trust in its efforts to help venues survive, by adding a small levy to their admission fees, which supports local stages.

He also took part, raising over £100k on his live tour to support numerous small stages across the UK.

The money supported spaces that were dealing with potential shutdown due to issues stemming from floods, fire incidents and family tragedies, as well as licensing issues, legal disputes and sound issues.

Additional spaces were granted financial assistance in upgrading facilities and sound and lighting systems that directly benefitted performers and concertgoers.

"The notion that revenue from shows in major spaces supports the smaller venues, where it begins for performers like me, is just logical," Fender has stated.

Fender is among several artists to contribute his Mercury Prize funds to good deeds.

In Pulp received the prize in 1996 for their album their work, lead singer Cocker stated that the band would give their winnings to the organization War Child.

That year, rapper and singer she split her bounty among multiple organizations, including the children's charity and a charity for Sickle Cell.

"And I donated a thousand pounds to Highgate Newtown, to their gymnastics class, because I practiced gymnastics when I was younger and they required updated gear," she explained to the media.

In recent years, they contributed their winnings to the local youth club that supported their act, alongside other local music groups.

Additionally 1994 winners they gave their winnings to a MS organization after a close contact was identified with the illness.

"Receiving the award was sufficient," said singer Heather Small. "The prize was the cherry on top but we could do without the extra, because we had the main prize. So our winning affected the lives of others."

In the past week, the trust announced it had protected several small stages in that region, by placing them under public stewardship.

One venue in that area and the other in Bristol were acquired under the community ownership scheme, which is funded by a national body and music fans who buy "stakes" in the venues.