Sam Fender contributes his £25k prize cash award to small concert halls

Sam Fender holding his trophy in the North East
Sam Fender was awarded the honor last month in the North East

The star has handed over the complete sum of his £25,000 honor cash to the MVT, which functions to protect the UK's independent music venues.

Fender was awarded the cheque on October 16 as his new release his work was named the best record of the previous year.

Fender has chosen to donate the funds to the MVT, in appreciation of the essential function local spots played in his initial steps.

"As an artist would not have achieved my current career if it wasn't for all the shows I played around the area, and beyond, when I was just getting going," stated the artist. "These venues are renowned, but they are struggling."

From early 2023 onward, more than 150 of these locations have shut down – approximately 16% of the entire UK sector.

In the last year, 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 applying a small levy to their ticket costs, which supports independent venues.

Sam Fender also took part, raising more than £100,000 on his 2024 arena tour to support 38 local spots across Britain.

The donation assisted venues that were dealing with imminent closure due to issues caused by floods, blazes and personal losses, as well as regulatory hurdles, conflicts and sound issues.

Other venues received financial assistance in upgrading amenities and sound and lighting systems that directly benefitted musicians and fans.

"The idea that revenue from performances in major spaces supports the smaller venues, where it begins for artists like me, is just common sense," the star has commented.

The band Pulp performing
They are one example who donated their honor funds to charity

The musician is not the first artist to donate his award prize money to charitable organizations.

In they received the trophy in the mid-90s for their record Different Class, vocalist the singer stated that the band would donate their prize money to the organization War Child.

During 2002, artist the artist shared her award among a few good causes, like the NSPCC and a Sickle Cell organization.

"And I donated a £1,000 to the center, to their gymnastics program, because I did gymnastics when I was a child and they required better apparatus," Ms Dynamite shared with the media.

Two years ago, they gave their prize money to the youth organization that nurtured their act, as well as other independent music bodies.

And winners that year the group donated their winnings to a MS organization after a close contact was identified with the illness.

"Winning was ample," stated vocalist Small. "The prize was the cherry on top but we could do without the bonus, because we had the main prize. So our victory touched another person's life."

In the past week, the trust shared it had rescued several local spots in the South East, by bringing them into local control.

One venue in that area and the second in that location were acquired under the Own Our Venues scheme, which is backed by the arts council and music fans who buy "ownership units" in the properties.

Patricia Williams
Patricia Williams

A seasoned gambling analyst with over a decade of experience in reviewing casinos and predicting market trends.