🔗 Share this article

The artist has handed over the entirety of his £25k award prize money to the trust for venues, which functions to protect the UK's grassroots music venues.

Fender was presented with the award on 16 October as his new release his work was named the outstanding release of the previous year.

He has opted to donate the funds to the trust, in acknowledgment of the crucial part grassroots venues fulfilled in his beginning days.

"I personally couldn't be pursuing this success if it hadn't been for all the gigs I played around the region, and further afield, when I was starting out," said Fender. "These venues are legendary, but they are in difficulty."

Since the start of 2023, at least 150 of these locations have shut down – about 16% of the entire UK sector.

Over the past year, top acts including Pulp, Coldplay, Katy Perry and Ed Sheeran have all aided the MVT in its initiatives to help venues survive, by applying a minor surcharge to their admission fees, which benefits independent venues.

Fender also joined in, generating over £100k on his 2024 arena tour to help thirty-eight small stages across Britain.

The donation helped venues that were confronting possible closure due to issues stemming from water damage, blazes and personal losses, as well as regulatory hurdles, conflicts and noise complaints.

Other venues obtained financial assistance in upgrading facilities and sound and lighting systems that directly benefitted artists and audiences.

"The concept that revenue from shows in major spaces backs the local stages, where it kicks off for musicians like me, is just sensible," Sam Fender has said.

The musician is among several artists to donate his honor prize money to good deeds.

In they won the prize in 1996 for their release the album, lead singer the singer announced that the band would give their winnings to the non-profit the charity.

That year, musician the artist divided her award among a few good causes, including the NSPCC and a Sickle Cell organization.

"Additionally, I gave a thousand pounds to my local community centre, to their gymnastics program, because I trained in gymnastics when I was younger and they required better apparatus," Ms Dynamite told a publication.

Previously, they gave their winnings to the community center that developed their act, in addition to other independent music bodies.

And 1994 winners M People contributed their winnings to a multiple sclerosis charity after a close contact was identified with the condition.

"Winning was sufficient," remarked artist Heather Small. "The prize was the extra but we could do without the extra, because we had the cake. So our success impacted the lives of others."

Last week, the Music Venues Trust shared it had protected two grassroots venues in south-east England, by bringing them into local control.

The Joiners in the city and the second in Bristol were purchased under the public acquisition program, which is supported by a national body and enthusiasts who acquire "stakes" in the venues.