🔗 Share this article

The star has donated the entirety of his twenty-five thousand pound honor cash to the Music Venues Trust, which works to protect the UK's independent music venues.

Fender was awarded the award on mid-October as his latest record People Watching was declared the best record of the past year.

He has opted to hand the money over to the trust, in acknowledgment of the essential function grassroots venues played in his beginning days.

"I personally would not have achieved my current career if it wasn't for all the gigs I played around the region, and further afield, when I was starting out," said the artist. "These venues are renowned, but they are struggling."

Since the start of 2023, over 150 of these spaces have ceased operations – approximately one-sixth of the entire UK sector.

Recently, well-known musicians including the band Pulp, Coldplay, Katy Perry and Ed Sheeran have all aided the Music Venues Trust in its attempts to help venues survive, by adding a modest fee to their admission fees, which supports local stages.

Fender also participated, raising more than £100,000 on his recent tour to help numerous small stages across the UK.

The money supported locations that were confronting imminent closure due to challenges arising from flooding, fires and personal losses, as well as licensing issues, court cases and sound issues.

Other venues obtained monetary aid in modernizing facilities and gear that directly benefitted performers and concertgoers.

"The notion that revenue from concerts in big venues supports the independent spots, where it begins for musicians like me, is just common sense," Sam Fender has commented.

He is far from the only musician to donate his award winnings to worthy causes.

When the band won the award in the year 1996 for their album their work, vocalist the singer declared that the band would contribute their cash to the non-profit War Child.

During 2002, artist Ms Dynamite shared her bounty across multiple good causes, like the children's charity and a Sickle Cell organization.

"I also donated a grand to my local community centre, to their classes, because I did gymnastics when I was younger and they needed updated gear," the artist shared with outlets.

Previously, the band donated their winnings to the community center that developed their act, as well as other grassroots music organisations.

Additionally the 1994 recipients the group contributed their winnings to a multiple sclerosis charity after a close contact was found to have the disease.

"Receiving the award was quite enough," said vocalist the singer. "The cash was the cherry on top but we didn't require the bonus, because we had the cake. So our victory affected somebody else's life."

Last week, the trust shared it had rescued several small stages in south-east England, by transferring them to local control.

The Joiners in Southampton and the second in that location were purchased under the community ownership program, which is supported by the arts council and supporters who buy "stakes" in the properties.