The artist donates twenty-five thousand pounds award winnings to grassroots music venues

Sam Fender has handed over the entirety of his £25k award winnings to the trust for venues, which functions to save the United Kingdom's small concert spaces.

He was presented with the prize on 16 October as his third album the album was chosen as the best record of the previous year.

He has chosen to hand the money over to the trust, in appreciation of the vital role grassroots venues had in his early career.

"I personally would not have achieved what I am doing today if it hadn't been for all the performances I did around the North East, and beyond, when I was just getting going," said the artist. "These locations are iconic, but they are in difficulty."

From early 2023 onward, at least 150 of these locations have shut down – roughly 16% of the whole industry in the UK.

Recently, well-known musicians including Pulp, the group Coldplay, Katy Perry and Ed Sheeran have all aided the Music Venues Trust in its initiatives to support the industry, by including a modest fee to their ticket costs, which goes to help local stages.

Fender also participated, generating more than £100,000 on his 2024 arena tour to assist thirty-eight local spots across England, Scotland, and Wales.

The money supported locations that were facing possible closure due to issues stemming from floods, fires and family tragedies, as well as licensing issues, conflicts and noise complaints.

Other venues obtained financial assistance in upgrading infrastructure and gear that directly benefitted performers and audiences.

"The idea that money from performances in major spaces helps the local stages, where it kicks off for artists like me, is just logical," the star has said.

The musician is among several artists to donate his Mercury Prize prize money to charitable organizations.

In Pulp won the trophy in 1996 for their album their work, vocalist the singer declared that the act would donate their winnings to the non-profit War Child.

During 2002, musician Ms Dynamite split her prize across a few organizations, such as the NSPCC and a Sickle Cell charity.

"I also contributed a grand to the center, to their classes, because I did gymnastics when I was a child and they lacked updated gear," the artist explained to a publication.

In recent years, Ezra Collective contributed their winnings to the youth organization that nurtured their act, in addition to other grassroots music organisations.

Additionally 1994 winners M People gave their prize to a multiple sclerosis charity after a close contact was identified with the condition.

"The victory was ample," said vocalist Heather Small. "The prize was the extra but we didn't need the cherry, because we had the main prize. So our winning impacted another person's life."

In the past week, the Music Venues Trust announced it had protected two small stages in south-east England, by transferring them to public stewardship.

The Joiners in Southampton and the other in that location were bought under the public acquisition program, which is backed by a national body and enthusiasts who purchase "ownership units" in the properties.