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Sam Fender gives his £25k prize Mercury Prize to independent music venues

The artist accepting Mercury Prize in his hometown
Sam Fender received the prestigious award last month in his hometown

The star has given the entirety of his £25k honor prize money to the MVT, which works to save the United Kingdom's small concert spaces.

Fender was given the award on October 16 as his latest record his work was declared the outstanding release of the last 12 months.

He has opted to donate the funds to the Music Venues Trust, in recognition of the vital role local spots played in his early career.

"I would not have achieved this success if it weren't for all the gigs I did around the North East, and further afield, when I was starting out," stated Fender. "These spaces are renowned, but they are in difficulty."

Beginning in 2023, more than 150 of these venues have shut down – approximately one-sixth of the whole industry in the UK.

Recently, major artists such as Pulp, Coldplay, the singer Katy Perry and Ed Sheeran have all backed the MVT in its attempts to keep the scene afloat, by including a small levy to their admission fees, which goes to help independent venues.

Fender also took part, collecting in excess of £100,000 on his live tour to support 38 grassroots venues across England, Scotland, and Wales.

The donation supported locations that were confronting imminent closure due to challenges stemming from flooding, fire incidents and bereavements, as well as permit problems, legal disputes and neighbor objections.

Some locations were granted financial assistance in upgrading amenities and gear that positively impacted artists and fans.

"The notion that revenue from concerts in major spaces helps the smaller venues, where it begins for artists like me, is just sensible," Sam Fender has said.

The band Pulp on stage
They are among the artists who contributed their award funds to good causes

He is among several artists to give his honor winnings to good deeds.

Back when they received the trophy in the year 1996 for their record their work, frontman the singer declared that the act would give their winnings to the charity the charity.

That year, musician Ms Dynamite split her prize between several organizations, like the NSPCC and a Sickle Cell charity.

"Additionally, I donated a grand to my local community centre, to their gymnastics program, because I practiced gymnastics when I was younger and they needed new equipment," the artist told a publication.

Previously, the band donated their prize money to the local youth club that supported their act, in addition to other independent music bodies.

Also winners that year they donated their prize to a MS organization after a close contact was diagnosed the condition.

"Winning was sufficient," stated vocalist the singer. "The money was the bonus but we didn't need the bonus, because we had the main prize. So our victory affected the lives of others."

In the past week, the trust revealed it had rescued two small stages in the South East, by bringing them into local control.

The Joiners in that area and the second in Bristol were acquired under the public acquisition scheme, which is backed by Arts Council England and music fans who acquire "ownership units" in the buildings.

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Pamela Wood

A seasoned gaming technician with over a decade of experience in slot machine maintenance and casino operations.

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