🔗 Share this article

The artist has donated the complete sum of his £25,000 Mercury Prize cash to the Music Venues Trust, which functions to save the Britain's small concert spaces.

He was awarded the prize on mid-October as his third album his work was chosen as the outstanding release of the last 12 months.

Fender has opted to give the cash to the trust, in appreciation of the essential function local spots fulfilled in his beginning days.

"I would not have achieved what I am doing today if it wasn't for all the shows I did around the area, and further afield, when I was beginning," remarked the artist. "These spaces are legendary, but they are facing challenges."

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

Recently, major artists including the band Pulp, Coldplay, Katy Perry and Ed Sheeran have all aided the trust in its initiatives to help venues survive, by including a small levy to their ticket prices, which goes to help local stages.

Fender also joined in, raising in excess of £100,000 on his live tour to support numerous local spots across England, Scotland, and Wales.

These funds supported spaces that were dealing with possible closure due to issues arising from flooding, fires and family tragedies, as well as permit problems, conflicts and sound issues.

Some locations received financial assistance in upgrading infrastructure and sound and lighting systems that helped musicians and audiences.

"The concept that money from shows in big venues helps the smaller venues, where it begins for artists like me, is just sensible," Sam Fender has said.

Fender is far from the only musician to give his Mercury Prize winnings to charitable organizations.

When the band won the trophy in the year 1996 for their album Different Class, frontman the singer declared that the band would give their winnings to the charity War Child.

During 2002, rapper and singer she split her prize among a few organizations, like the children's charity and a charity for Sickle Cell.

"Additionally, I contributed a grand to the center, to their classes, because I did gymnastics when I was growing up and they needed updated gear," the artist told outlets.

Previously, the band contributed their winnings to the community center that supported their act, in addition to other local music groups.

And the 1994 recipients they contributed their winnings to a multiple sclerosis charity after a friend was identified with the condition.

"The victory was quite enough," said singer Heather Small. "The cash was the cherry on top but we didn't require the extra, because we had the cake. So our victory touched another person's life."

In the past week, the trust revealed it had saved a couple of local spots in south-east England, by bringing them into public stewardship.

One venue in that area and The Croft in the city were bought under the community ownership program, which is funded by Arts Council England and supporters who buy "ownership units" in the properties.