🔗 Share this article

Sam Fender has handed over the complete sum of his £25k Mercury Prize cash to the Music Venues Trust, which works to protect the Britain's small music venues.

Fender was given the cheque on mid-October as his new release the album was declared the best record of the last 12 months.

The musician has chosen to hand the money over to the MVT, in acknowledgment of the vital role small stages had in his initial steps.

"I would not have achieved my current career if it wasn't for all the shows I played around the North East, and elsewhere, when I was starting out," said Sam Fender. "These locations are renowned, but they are struggling."

Since the start of 2023, more than 150 of these locations have permanently closed – approximately 16% of the entire UK sector.

In the last year, top acts like Pulp, the group Coldplay, Katy Perry and Sheeran have all backed the MVT in its initiatives to keep the scene afloat, by applying a minor surcharge to their admission fees, which benefits local stages.

Sam Fender also took part, raising more than £100,000 on his recent tour to assist 38 small stages across Britain.

The donation supported locations that were confronting possible closure due to issues caused by flooding, fires and family tragedies, as well as regulatory hurdles, court cases and neighbor objections.

Additional spaces received monetary aid in modernizing infrastructure and technical equipment that directly benefitted musicians and concertgoers.

"The idea that funds from performances in big venues helps the independent spots, where it all starts for performers like me, is just sensible," the star has commented.

The musician is not the first artist to give his Mercury Prize funds to worthy causes.

When Pulp won the award in the mid-90s for their release the album, lead singer Jarvis Cocker stated that the band would donate their prize money to the charity the charity.

That year, musician Ms Dynamite shared her award between several charities, like the NSPCC and a Sickle Cell organization.

"I also contributed a £1,000 to Highgate Newtown, to their gymnastics class, because I did gymnastics when I was younger and they lacked better apparatus," she explained to outlets.

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

Also winners that year the group donated their winnings to a charity for MS after a friend was diagnosed the illness.

"The victory was ample," said vocalist Small. "The money was the bonus but we could do without the cherry, because we had the cake. So our victory touched the lives of others."

Last week, the trust revealed it had saved a couple of small stages in that region, by bringing them into community ownership.

The Joiners in the city and The Croft in the city were purchased under the Own Our Venues program, which is supported by a national body and enthusiasts who acquire "shares" in the venues.