Sam Fender has handed over the complete sum of his twenty-five thousand pound award prize money to the Music Venues Trust, which functions to save the UK's grassroots music venues.
The star was given the cheque on mid-October as his third album the album was declared the outstanding release of the last 12 months.
The musician has chosen to hand the money over to the Music Venues Trust, in recognition of the crucial part local spots fulfilled in his initial steps.
"As an artist wouldn't be doing this success if it wasn't for all the gigs I performed around the region, and beyond, when I was just getting going," said Sam Fender. "These locations are renowned, but they are struggling."
Since the start of 2023, more than 150 of these locations have permanently closed – about 16 percent of the whole industry in the UK.
Recently, major artists like Pulp, the group Coldplay, Katy Perry and Ed Sheeran have all aided the Music Venues Trust in its efforts to help venues survive, by including a minor surcharge to their ticket costs, which goes to help local stages.
Sam Fender also participated, collecting more than £100,000 on his recent tour to help numerous small stages across England, Scotland, and Wales.
The donation supported venues that were dealing with possible closure due to challenges arising from flooding, fires and personal losses, as well as licensing issues, legal disputes and neighbor objections.
Some locations received funding support in modernizing infrastructure and technical equipment that helped musicians and audiences.
"The notion that funds from performances in large arenas backs the independent spots, where it all starts for performers like me, is just common sense," Fender has commented.
Fender is far from the only musician to give his award funds to charitable organizations.
In they received the award in the mid-90s for their release the album, lead singer Cocker stated that the act would contribute their prize money to the charity the charity.
During 2002, rapper and singer the artist shared her bounty between a few organizations, including the NSPCC and a Sickle Cell organization.
"I also contributed a thousand pounds to the center, to their classes, because I trained in gymnastics when I was growing up and they lacked updated gear," Ms Dynamite explained to a publication.
In recent years, they gave their funds to the local youth club that nurtured their band, alongside other grassroots music organisations.
And 1994 winners the group donated their award to a MS organization after a friend was diagnosed the condition.
"The victory was quite enough," said vocalist Small. "The cash was the extra but we could do without the extra, because we had the honor. So our victory affected somebody else's life."
In the past week, the trust shared it had rescued several small stages in that region, by placing them under local control.
The Joiners in that area and the second in the city were acquired under the Own Our Venues scheme, which is supported by the arts council and supporters who acquire "ownership units" in the venues.
