Sam Fender gives twenty-five thousand pounds Mercury Prize to small concert halls

Sam Fender has donated the entirety of his £25,000 Mercury Prize winnings to the MVT, which works to preserve the Britain's small concert spaces.

The star was awarded the award on October 16 as his new release his work was declared the best record of the previous year.

He has opted to give the cash to the trust, in appreciation of the essential function small stages fulfilled in his initial steps.

"I couldn't be pursuing what I am doing today if it weren't for all the gigs I performed around the region, and beyond, when I was starting out," remarked the artist. "These venues are iconic, but they are facing challenges."

Beginning in 2023, over 150 of these locations have ceased operations – roughly 16% of the total UK scene.

In the last year, major artists such as Pulp, Coldplay, the singer Katy Perry and Sheeran have all backed the Music Venues Trust in its efforts to keep the scene afloat, by applying a minor surcharge to their ticket costs, which benefits local stages.

Fender also joined in, collecting over £100k on his recent tour to support thirty-eight small stages across England, Scotland, and Wales.

The donation assisted locations that were confronting potential shutdown due to challenges caused by floods, blazes and bereavements, as well as regulatory hurdles, conflicts and noise complaints.

Additional spaces received financial assistance in upgrading facilities and sound and lighting systems that positively impacted artists and concertgoers.

"The concept that funds from performances in major spaces supports the independent spots, where it all starts for artists like me, is just sensible," Sam Fender has stated.

He is among several artists to give his award funds to good deeds.

When Pulp received the prize in 1996 for their album Different Class, lead singer Cocker declared that the act would give their winnings to the organization War Child.

That year, rapper and singer Ms Dynamite shared her bounty among several good causes, including the NSPCC and a Sickle Cell organization.

"I also donated a grand to Highgate Newtown, to their gymnastics program, because I practiced gymnastics when I was younger and they needed better apparatus," Ms Dynamite explained to the media.

Two years ago, the band gave their funds to the local youth club that nurtured their group, as well as other independent music bodies.

And winners that year the group contributed their award to a MS organization after a friend was found to have the illness.

"Receiving the award was sufficient," said vocalist the singer. "The prize was the extra but we didn't require the bonus, because we had the honor. So our success affected another person's life."

Last week, the MVT shared it had rescued two grassroots venues in the South East, by transferring them to local control.

One venue in that area and the second in that location were purchased under the Own Our Venues program, which is funded by the arts council and supporters who buy "stakes" in the buildings.