🔗 Share this article

The star has given the full amount of his £25,000 award cash to the trust for venues, which functions to preserve the United Kingdom's grassroots live music spots.

He was given the cheque on 16 October as his latest record the album was chosen as the best record of the last 12 months.

The musician has opted to donate the funds to the MVT, in acknowledgment of the essential function grassroots venues played in his initial steps.

"I personally would not have achieved what I am doing today if it hadn't been for all the gigs I played around the region, and elsewhere, when I was just getting going," said the artist. "These locations are iconic, but they are facing challenges."

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

Over the past year, major artists including Pulp, the group Coldplay, the singer Katy Perry and Sheeran have all aided the MVT in its initiatives to support the industry, by including a modest fee to their ticket costs, which supports local stages.

Sam Fender also joined in, raising more than £100,000 on his 2024 arena tour to help 38 small stages across the UK.

These funds supported locations that were dealing with possible closure due to difficulties caused by water damage, fires and personal losses, as well as licensing issues, legal disputes and noise complaints.

Additional spaces received financial assistance in improving amenities and sound and lighting systems that positively impacted performers and fans.

"The idea that funds from performances in big venues helps the smaller venues, where it begins for musicians like me, is just logical," Sam Fender has said.

He is not the first artist to give his honor prize money to charitable organizations.

When Pulp won the award in the mid-90s for their album their work, lead singer Cocker announced that the group would give their winnings to the organization War Child.

That year, artist Ms Dynamite divided her bounty across multiple charities, such as the children's charity and a Sickle Cell charity.

"Additionally, I donated a thousand pounds to Highgate Newtown, to their gymnastics program, because I did gymnastics when I was younger and they needed better apparatus," the artist told a publication.

Two years ago, they donated their prize money to the youth organization that developed their act, alongside other independent music bodies.

Additionally 1994 winners M People gave their award to a charity for MS after a close contact was identified with the illness.

"Winning was sufficient," remarked artist the singer. "The prize was the cherry on top but we didn't require the bonus, because we had the cake. So our victory affected another person's life."

Recently, the MVT revealed it had rescued a couple of local spots in the South East, by bringing them into community ownership.

The Joiners in that area and the other in that location were bought under the public acquisition program, which is funded by the arts council and enthusiasts who purchase "stakes" in the venues.