The artist gives twenty-five thousand pounds Mercury Prize to grassroots music venues

Sam Fender has donated the entirety of his £25k Mercury Prize prize money to the Music Venues Trust, which operates to save the UK's grassroots music venues.

The star was awarded the prize on mid-October as his third album his work was named the best record of the previous year.

The musician has decided to hand the money over to the MVT, in recognition of the vital role small stages fulfilled in his initial steps.

"I personally would not have achieved this success if it hadn't been for all the performances I performed around the region, and elsewhere, when I was starting out," stated the artist. "These spaces are iconic, but they are in difficulty."

Beginning in 2023, over 150 of these spaces have shut down – approximately 16 percent of the entire UK sector.

Over the past year, well-known musicians including the band Pulp, the group Coldplay, Katy Perry and Ed Sheeran have all supported the trust in its attempts to keep the scene afloat, by including a small levy to their ticket prices, which goes to help local stages.

He also took part, collecting more than £100,000 on his 2024 arena tour to support numerous grassroots venues across England, Scotland, and Wales.

The money helped locations that were confronting imminent closure due to challenges caused by floods, fires and personal losses, as well as licensing issues, court cases and sound issues.

Additional spaces obtained funding support in modernizing infrastructure and gear that directly benefitted musicians and concertgoers.

"The notion that money from performances in major spaces supports the independent spots, where it begins for performers like me, is just logical," the star has stated.

He is among several artists to give his Mercury Prize winnings to charitable organizations.

Back when the band received the prize in the mid-90s for their album the album, vocalist Jarvis Cocker declared that the act would donate their prize money to the organization War Child.

That year, musician she shared her bounty across multiple charities, such as the NSPCC and a charity for Sickle Cell.

"Additionally, I donated a thousand pounds to my local community centre, to their classes, because I trained in gymnastics when I was a child and they required updated gear," she explained to a publication.

Previously, they donated their winnings to the community center that supported their group, in addition to other local music groups.

Additionally 1994 winners the group gave their prize to a multiple sclerosis charity after a acquaintance was found to have the disease.

"The victory was sufficient," stated artist Small. "The money was the bonus but we didn't need the bonus, because we had the main prize. So our success touched somebody else's life."

Last week, the MVT announced it had saved several local spots in that region, by transferring them to local control.

The first in Southampton and the other in the city were purchased under the community ownership initiative, which is supported by the arts council and enthusiasts who purchase "shares" in the venues.