🔗 Share this article

Sam Fender has handed over the full amount of his £25,000 award prize money to the Music Venues Trust, which operates to preserve the United Kingdom's independent concert spaces.

The star was presented with the award on 16 October as his new release People Watching was declared the top album of the last 12 months.

The musician has decided to donate the funds to the MVT, in appreciation of the crucial part grassroots venues had in his initial steps.

"As an artist wouldn't be doing this success if it weren't for all the gigs I performed around the region, and elsewhere, when I was starting out," remarked Fender. "These venues are legendary, but they are struggling."

From early 2023 onward, more than 150 of these venues have permanently closed – about 16% of the whole industry in the UK.

Over the past year, major artists such as Pulp, the group Coldplay, Katy Perry and Ed Sheeran have all supported the trust in its efforts to keep the scene afloat, by including a modest fee to their ticket costs, which supports smaller concert halls.

Sam Fender also participated, collecting over £100k on his 2024 arena tour to support numerous grassroots venues across Britain.

These funds helped venues that were confronting possible closure due to issues stemming from flooding, blazes and personal losses, as well as permit problems, court cases and noise complaints.

Additional spaces obtained funding support in improving facilities and technical equipment that helped performers and fans.

"The idea that revenue from performances in big venues supports the independent spots, where it kicks off for performers like me, is just logical," Sam Fender has said.

The musician is not the first artist to give his honor winnings to good deeds.

When they received the prize in the year 1996 for their album their work, frontman Cocker announced that the group would contribute their cash to the non-profit War Child.

That year, artist the artist divided her award across several organizations, like the NSPCC and a charity for Sickle Cell.

"And I gave a £1,000 to my local community centre, to their classes, because I practiced gymnastics when I was a child and they lacked new equipment," she told a publication.

Previously, Ezra Collective donated their winnings to the local youth club that nurtured their band, alongside other independent music bodies.

And 1994 winners the group donated their winnings to a charity for MS after a friend was diagnosed the illness.

"Receiving the award was sufficient," remarked artist Small. "The prize was the cherry on top but we didn't require the cherry, because we had the main prize. So our victory touched the lives of others."

In the past week, the Music Venues Trust revealed it had protected several grassroots venues in south-east England, by placing them under local control.

The first in Southampton and the second in that location were purchased under the Own Our Venues scheme, which is funded by Arts Council England and enthusiasts who purchase "shares" in the buildings.