The artist contributes twenty-five thousand pounds award winnings to small concert halls

Sam Fender has donated the entirety of his £25,000 award winnings to the Music Venues Trust, which operates to protect the UK's small concert spaces.

Fender was presented with the award on October 16 as his new release People Watching was chosen as the top album of the previous year.

He has decided to donate the funds to the MVT, in recognition of the essential function small stages fulfilled in his beginning days.

"As an artist couldn't be pursuing this success if it weren't for all the shows I did around the area, and further afield, when I was just getting going," said the artist. "These locations are renowned, but they are in difficulty."

From early 2023 onward, at least 150 of these locations have permanently closed – approximately one-sixth of the whole industry in the UK.

Recently, top acts including Pulp, the group Coldplay, Katy Perry and Ed Sheeran have all aided the trust in its efforts to help venues survive, by including a minor surcharge to their ticket costs, which goes to help independent venues.

Fender also participated, generating in excess of £100,000 on his live tour to support numerous small stages across England, Scotland, and Wales.

These funds supported venues that were confronting potential shutdown due to issues stemming from water damage, fire incidents and family tragedies, as well as regulatory hurdles, court cases and noise complaints.

Some locations were granted funding support in improving amenities and sound and lighting systems that helped performers and fans.

"The idea that revenue from shows in large arenas supports the smaller venues, where it kicks off for musicians like me, is just common sense," Fender has commented.

Fender is among several artists to contribute his Mercury Prize prize money to charitable organizations.

Back when the band received the prize in the year 1996 for their album the album, vocalist Cocker declared that the group would contribute their prize money to the organization the charity.

During 2002, musician she shared her prize between several organizations, including the children's charity and a charity for Sickle Cell.

"Additionally, I gave a thousand pounds to my local community centre, to their gymnastics class, because I did gymnastics when I was growing up and they lacked updated gear," the artist told a publication.

In recent years, they gave their prize money to the local youth club that developed their band, as well as other grassroots music organisations.

Additionally 1994 winners they contributed their winnings to a charity for MS after a close contact was found to have the illness.

"The victory was sufficient," remarked vocalist the singer. "The prize was the cherry on top but we didn't require the bonus, because we had the cake. So our winning touched somebody else's life."

Last week, the trust announced it had saved several grassroots venues in that region, by bringing them into community ownership.

The Joiners in that area and The Croft in that location were purchased under the Own Our Venues program, which is backed by Arts Council England and music fans who purchase "stakes" in the properties.