🔗 Share this article

The star has handed over the full amount of his twenty-five thousand pound honor cash to the trust for venues, which operates to preserve the United Kingdom's independent music venues.

He was presented with the prize on mid-October as his third album People Watching was declared the outstanding release of the previous year.

Fender has decided to hand the money over to the Music Venues Trust, in recognition of the crucial part local spots had in his initial steps.

"I personally couldn't be pursuing what I am doing today if it hadn't been for all the performances I did around the area, and elsewhere, when I was beginning," stated Sam Fender. "These locations are legendary, but they are facing challenges."

Since the start of 2023, at least 150 of these venues have ceased operations – approximately 16 percent of the total UK scene.

In the last year, major artists like Pulp, Coldplay, Katy Perry and Ed Sheeran have all supported the Music Venues Trust in its initiatives to help venues survive, by adding a small levy to their ticket costs, which goes to help local stages.

Sam Fender also participated, collecting over £100k on his live tour to support numerous local spots across the UK.

The donation supported spaces that were dealing with imminent closure due to challenges caused by water damage, fire incidents and personal losses, as well as regulatory hurdles, legal disputes and neighbor objections.

Additional spaces were granted funding support in modernizing infrastructure and technical equipment that helped musicians and fans.

"The notion that revenue from concerts in big venues helps the smaller venues, where it kicks off for musicians like me, is just logical," the star has stated.

Fender is far from the only musician to donate his honor funds to good deeds.

When the band received the trophy in the mid-90s for their record the album, vocalist Jarvis Cocker announced that the act would give their cash to the organization the charity.

During 2002, rapper and singer the artist shared her bounty between a few charities, including the NSPCC and a Sickle Cell charity.

"Additionally, I contributed a thousand pounds to the center, to their classes, because I practiced gymnastics when I was growing up and they lacked better apparatus," she told the media.

Previously, the band donated their prize money to the youth organization that developed their group, as well as other grassroots music organisations.

Additionally 1994 winners the group gave their award to a MS organization after a close contact was found to have the condition.

"Winning was quite enough," said singer Heather Small. "The money was the bonus but we could do without the extra, because we had the cake. So our victory affected the lives of others."

In the past week, the trust shared it had protected two small stages in that region, by transferring them to public stewardship.

The Joiners in that area and The Croft in the city were acquired under the public acquisition program, which is funded by Arts Council England and enthusiasts who buy "stakes" in the properties.