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The musician donates his £25k prize cash award to grassroots concert halls

Sam Fender receiving his trophy in Newcastle
Sam Fender won the honor last month in the North East

The artist has handed over the full amount of his £25,000 honor cash to the trust for venues, which works to save the Britain's small music venues.

The star was awarded the cheque on 16 October as his latest record the album was chosen as the best record of the past year.

Fender has decided to hand the money over to the trust, in appreciation of the essential function grassroots venues played in his beginning days.

"I personally couldn't be pursuing my current career if it hadn't been for all the shows I performed around the North East, and further afield, when I was starting out," said Fender. "These spaces are renowned, but they are struggling."

From early 2023 onward, more than 150 of these locations have ceased operations – about 16 percent of the entire UK sector.

Over the past year, well-known musicians including the band Pulp, the group Coldplay, the singer Katy Perry and Sheeran have all aided the MVT in its initiatives to help venues survive, by including a small levy to their ticket prices, which supports local stages.

He also joined in, collecting over £100k on his live tour to support thirty-eight grassroots venues across England, Scotland, and Wales.

These funds helped spaces that were facing potential shutdown due to issues arising from floods, fires and bereavements, as well as licensing issues, court cases and sound issues.

Additional spaces were granted monetary aid in upgrading amenities and technical equipment that directly benefitted performers and audiences.

"The concept that funds from performances in major spaces supports the smaller venues, where it kicks off for musicians like me, is just sensible," Fender has stated.

Pulp in concert
Pulp are one of the many acts who donated their honor winnings to non-profits

The musician is not the first artist to give his award winnings to good deeds.

In Pulp received the award in the mid-90s for their album their work, lead singer the singer stated that the act would donate their cash to the organization War Child.

That year, artist she shared her award across multiple organizations, such as the NSPCC and a charity for Sickle Cell.

"And I donated a grand to my local community centre, to their gymnastics program, because I practiced gymnastics when I was younger and they required new equipment," Ms Dynamite explained to a publication.

In recent years, the band donated their prize money to the local youth club that nurtured their group, alongside other local music groups.

Also the 1994 recipients M People donated their award to a charity for MS after a acquaintance was diagnosed the condition.

"The victory was ample," remarked artist Small. "The money was the bonus but we didn't need the extra, because we had the main prize. So our victory touched somebody else's life."

Last week, the trust announced it had saved two local spots in that region, by placing them under community ownership.

The first in that area and the second in that location were bought under the public acquisition scheme, which is funded by the arts council and music fans who purchase "stakes" in the venues.

AV
By

Amy Vang

A technology strategist with over a decade of experience in IT consulting and digital transformation for SMEs across various industries.

Corex Services

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