🔗 Share this article

The star has given the full amount of his £25,000 honor winnings to the trust for venues, which operates to preserve the United Kingdom's grassroots live music spots.

He was given the cheque on mid-October as his third album the album was chosen as the outstanding release of the previous year.

He has chosen to donate the funds to the MVT, in acknowledgment of the crucial part grassroots venues had in his initial steps.

"I couldn't be pursuing what I am doing today if it wasn't for all the gigs I performed around the North East, and elsewhere, when I was starting out," stated the artist. "These venues are iconic, but they are struggling."

Since the start of 2023, over 150 of these venues have shut down – roughly 16 percent of the entire UK sector.

Over the past year, major artists such as Pulp, Coldplay, the singer Katy Perry and Sheeran have all backed the Music Venues Trust in its efforts to help venues survive, by including a minor surcharge to their ticket costs, which goes to help smaller concert halls.

He also joined in, generating in excess of £100,000 on his 2024 arena tour to support numerous local spots across the UK.

The donation helped locations that were dealing with imminent closure due to challenges arising from flooding, fire incidents and family tragedies, as well as regulatory hurdles, conflicts and neighbor objections.

Additional spaces were granted monetary aid in modernizing facilities and gear that directly benefitted artists and fans.

"The idea that revenue from shows in major spaces helps the local stages, where it begins for performers like me, is just logical," Sam Fender has commented.

Fender is among several artists to donate his Mercury Prize funds to good deeds.

Back when Pulp won the prize in the mid-90s for their record their work, lead singer Jarvis Cocker stated that the act would contribute their winnings to the charity the charity.

During 2002, rapper and singer the artist shared her prize between a few good causes, including the children's charity and a charity for Sickle Cell.

"I also contributed a thousand pounds to my local community centre, to their classes, because I did gymnastics when I was a child and they required better apparatus," she explained to the media.

Previously, Ezra Collective donated their funds to the community center that nurtured their act, in addition to other independent music bodies.

Also 1994 winners M People donated their award to a charity for MS after a acquaintance was diagnosed the condition.

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

Recently, the MVT revealed it had saved several small stages in the South East, by placing them under community ownership.

One venue in Southampton and the other in the city were bought under the Own Our Venues program, which is funded by the arts council and enthusiasts who purchase "ownership units" in the properties.