Sam Fender has handed over the complete sum of his £25,000 award prize money to the Music Venues Trust, which functions to preserve the Britain's independent music venues.
The star was presented with the prize on 16 October as his latest record the album was chosen as the outstanding release of the previous year.
Fender has chosen to give the cash to the Music Venues Trust, in appreciation of the essential function grassroots venues fulfilled in his early career.
"As an artist couldn't be pursuing this success if it wasn't for all the gigs I played around the area, and elsewhere, when I was starting out," stated the artist. "These venues are legendary, but they are struggling."
From early 2023 onward, more than 150 of these locations have shut down – roughly 16% of the total UK scene.
In the last year, major artists like the band Pulp, Coldplay, Katy Perry and Sheeran have all supported the Music Venues Trust in its efforts to support the industry, by including a modest fee to their ticket costs, which supports independent venues.
Sam Fender also participated, generating over £100k on his live tour to help 38 small stages across England, Scotland, and Wales.
The donation supported locations that were facing imminent closure due to challenges stemming from flooding, fires and personal losses, as well as permit problems, court cases and noise complaints.
Some locations received financial assistance in modernizing amenities and gear that directly benefitted performers and fans.
"The notion that money from concerts in major spaces backs the smaller venues, where it all starts for artists like me, is just logical," Sam Fender has stated.
Fender is not the first artist to contribute his honor funds to worthy causes.
In they won the trophy in the year 1996 for their album the album, lead singer Cocker announced that the act would donate their winnings to the non-profit War Child.
In 2002, rapper and singer Ms Dynamite divided her bounty across multiple charities, such as the children's charity and a charity for Sickle Cell.
"I also gave a £1,000 to the center, to their gymnastics program, because I trained in gymnastics when I was growing up and they lacked new equipment," Ms Dynamite told the media.
Two years ago, the band gave their prize money to the local youth club that developed their act, in addition to other independent music bodies.
Additionally the 1994 recipients they gave their winnings to a charity for MS after a acquaintance was identified with the illness.
"Receiving the award was quite enough," stated singer Small. "The cash was the cherry on top but we didn't require the extra, because we had the honor. So our victory affected somebody else's life."
Last week, the trust announced it had rescued a couple of local spots in that region, by transferring them to public stewardship.
One venue in the city and the second in the city were acquired under the Own Our Venues initiative, which is supported by Arts Council England and supporters who acquire "shares" in the venues.
