🔗 Share this article

The star has donated the complete sum of his £25k honor cash to the trust for venues, which operates to protect the Britain's grassroots music venues.

He was awarded the award on October 16 as his latest record the album was declared the outstanding release of the last 12 months.

He has opted to hand the money over to the Music Venues Trust, in appreciation of the vital role grassroots venues fulfilled in his initial steps.

"I personally would not have achieved my current career if it hadn't been for all the performances I did around the region, and elsewhere, when I was starting out," remarked Sam Fender. "These locations are iconic, but they are in difficulty."

Since the start of 2023, at least 150 of these spaces have shut down – about 16% of the whole industry in the UK.

Over the past year, top acts like the band Pulp, Coldplay, the singer Katy Perry and Sheeran have all supported the trust in its attempts to support the industry, by including a small levy to their admission fees, which supports independent venues.

Sam Fender also participated, generating over £100k on his recent tour to support numerous small stages across the UK.

These funds helped spaces that were confronting potential shutdown due to issues stemming from flooding, fire incidents and bereavements, as well as regulatory hurdles, conflicts and noise complaints.

Some locations obtained funding support in improving infrastructure and sound and lighting systems that positively impacted musicians and concertgoers.

"The notion that funds from performances in major spaces helps the independent spots, where it all starts for artists like me, is just logical," the star has stated.

The musician is not the first artist to contribute his award winnings to charitable organizations.

Back when Pulp earned the prize in the year 1996 for their album Different Class, vocalist Cocker declared that the band would give their winnings to the organization War Child.

During 2002, musician the artist split her prize between a few charities, such as the NSPCC and a Sickle Cell charity.

"Additionally, I donated a £1,000 to the center, to their classes, because I did gymnastics when I was a child and they lacked better apparatus," the artist shared with the media.

In recent years, the band contributed their winnings to the youth organization that supported their band, as well as other local music groups.

Additionally the 1994 recipients they donated their prize to a MS organization after a friend was identified with the illness.

"Winning was sufficient," said artist Heather Small. "The cash was the extra but we didn't require the bonus, because we had the cake. So our success affected somebody else's life."

Last week, the MVT revealed it had protected a couple of local spots in south-east England, by bringing them into public stewardship.

The Joiners in that area and The Croft in the city were bought under the Own Our Venues initiative, which is funded by a national body and supporters who buy "ownership units" in the venues.