Sam Fender contributes his £25k prize cash award to grassroots music venues

Sam Fender accepting his trophy in the North East
He received the honor recently in his hometown

The artist has donated the full amount of his twenty-five thousand pound award cash to the MVT, which functions to protect the Britain's grassroots music venues.

He was given the cheque on mid-October as his latest record the album was chosen as the outstanding release of the past year.

Fender has chosen to hand the money over to the trust, in appreciation of the vital role local spots had in his beginning days.

"I personally would not have achieved what I am doing today if it hadn't been for all the performances I played around the region, and further afield, when I was beginning," stated Sam Fender. "These venues are iconic, but they are in difficulty."

Since the start of 2023, at least 150 of these venues have ceased operations – approximately 16% of the whole industry in the UK.

Over the past year, major artists like the band Pulp, the group Coldplay, Katy Perry and Ed Sheeran have all aided the MVT in its attempts to keep the scene afloat, by including a modest fee to their ticket costs, which goes to help independent venues.

He also participated, generating in excess of £100,000 on his recent tour to assist numerous local spots across Britain.

The donation supported venues that were confronting possible closure due to difficulties caused by floods, blazes and bereavements, as well as regulatory hurdles, conflicts and noise complaints.

Some locations received monetary aid in modernizing infrastructure and technical equipment that directly benefitted artists and fans.

"The notion that funds from performances in major spaces helps the independent spots, where it kicks off for artists like me, is just logical," Fender has stated.

Pulp performing
Pulp are one of the many acts who contributed their award winnings to good causes

Fender is among several artists to donate his honor prize money to worthy causes.

In the band won the award in 1996 for their album their work, lead singer Cocker declared that the group would donate their winnings to the charity War Child.

During 2002, artist she divided her prize among several charities, like the NSPCC and a Sickle Cell organization.

"And I contributed a grand to my local community centre, to their gymnastics class, because I trained in gymnastics when I was a child and they lacked better apparatus," she told outlets.

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

Also winners that year M People donated their winnings to a multiple sclerosis charity after a close contact was found to have the condition.

"Receiving the award was quite enough," remarked vocalist Small. "The cash was the extra but we could do without the extra, because we had the honor. So our success touched the lives of others."

Recently, the Music Venues Trust announced it had protected a couple of grassroots venues in south-east England, by bringing them into community ownership.

The first in Southampton and the other in that location were acquired under the community ownership program, which is supported by Arts Council England and supporters who buy "ownership units" in the properties.

Paul Thomas
Paul Thomas

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