Sam Fender has donated the complete sum of his £25,000 Mercury Prize winnings to the MVT, which works to save the United Kingdom's independent music venues.
The star was presented with the award on mid-October as his latest record People Watching was chosen as the best record of the previous year.
The musician has chosen to give the cash to the Music Venues Trust, in appreciation of the essential function local spots fulfilled in his beginning days.
"I couldn't be pursuing my current career if it hadn't been for all the shows I performed around the area, and beyond, when I was beginning," said Fender. "These spaces are legendary, but they are struggling."
From early 2023 onward, over 150 of these spaces have permanently closed – roughly one-sixth of the total UK scene.
Over the past year, major artists such as the band Pulp, the group Coldplay, Katy Perry and Sheeran have all backed the MVT in its initiatives to help venues survive, by applying a small levy to their admission fees, which goes to help smaller concert halls.
Fender also participated, raising in excess of £100,000 on his live tour to assist thirty-eight small stages across the UK.
The money helped venues that were confronting imminent closure due to issues stemming from water damage, fires and personal losses, as well as licensing issues, legal disputes and neighbor objections.
Additional spaces were granted financial assistance in modernizing facilities and technical equipment that positively impacted artists and concertgoers.
"The notion that funds from shows in large arenas helps the local stages, where it begins for artists like me, is just logical," the star has stated.
The musician is not the first artist to give his award winnings to worthy causes.
When they earned the prize in the year 1996 for their album Different Class, lead singer Cocker declared that the band would contribute their cash to the charity the charity.
During 2002, artist the artist divided her prize across several charities, such as the children's charity and a charity for Sickle Cell.
"I also gave a £1,000 to the center, to their classes, because I practiced gymnastics when I was growing up and they lacked better apparatus," Ms Dynamite explained to the media.
Previously, the band gave their funds to the youth organization that nurtured their act, as well as other grassroots music organisations.
Additionally the 1994 recipients the group gave their prize to a MS organization after a acquaintance was found to have the illness.
"Winning was ample," stated artist the singer. "The prize was the cherry on top but we could do without the cherry, because we had the cake. So our victory affected the lives of others."
Recently, the trust shared it had saved a couple of local spots in south-east England, by transferring them to community ownership.
The Joiners in Southampton and the second in Bristol were acquired under the public acquisition program, which is supported by Arts Council England and enthusiasts who acquire "shares" in the buildings.
