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The musician gives his £25k prize cash award to independent music venues

The singer receiving his trophy in his hometown
Sam Fender received the Mercury Prize last month in the North East

The artist has given the complete sum of his £25k Mercury Prize cash to the trust for venues, which operates to protect the Britain's independent music venues.

He was given the award on October 16 as his latest record the album was declared the best record of the last 12 months.

Fender has chosen to hand the money over to the MVT, in recognition of the vital role grassroots venues had in his initial steps.

"I would not have achieved what I am doing today if it wasn't for all the gigs I performed around the area, and elsewhere, when I was beginning," remarked Fender. "These locations are legendary, but they are struggling."

From early 2023 onward, over 150 of these locations have shut down – approximately one-sixth of the entire UK sector.

In the last year, major artists like the band Pulp, Coldplay, Katy Perry and Ed Sheeran have all backed the Music Venues Trust in its initiatives to help venues survive, by including a small levy to their ticket costs, which supports independent venues.

Fender also joined in, raising more than £100,000 on his recent tour to help numerous grassroots venues across Britain.

The donation helped spaces that were dealing with imminent closure due to challenges arising from flooding, blazes and family tragedies, as well as regulatory hurdles, court cases and noise complaints.

Other venues received financial assistance in modernizing infrastructure and gear that helped musicians and audiences.

"The notion that revenue from concerts in large arenas helps the smaller venues, where it kicks off for performers like me, is just logical," the star has stated.

The band Pulp performing
Pulp are one of the many acts who gave their Mercury Prize funds to non-profits

The musician is not the first artist to give his award winnings to worthy causes.

In the band received the trophy in the year 1996 for their album the album, vocalist the singer announced that the act would give their winnings to the organization War Child.

That year, artist Ms Dynamite shared her award between several good causes, such as the NSPCC and a Sickle Cell charity.

"And I donated a thousand pounds to my local community centre, to their gymnastics class, because I practiced gymnastics when I was a child and they required better apparatus," Ms Dynamite shared with a publication.

In recent years, they donated their funds to the youth organization that developed their band, alongside other independent music bodies.

Also winners that year the group gave their winnings to a multiple sclerosis charity after a friend was found to have the condition.

"The victory was ample," stated singer Heather Small. "The cash was the bonus but we could do without the extra, because we had the main prize. So our winning affected another person's life."

In the past week, the MVT shared it had rescued several local spots in the South East, by placing them under public stewardship.

The first in the city and The Croft in Bristol were acquired under the Own Our Venues initiative, which is supported by the arts council and enthusiasts who buy "shares" in the properties.

Written by

Rebecca Alvarado

A seasoned gaming analyst with over a decade of experience in reviewing online casinos and developing winning strategies.

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