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The musician contributes his £25k prize award winnings to small concert halls

Sam Fender receiving his trophy in Newcastle
The musician received the prestigious award in October in his hometown

The star has handed over the entirety of his £25,000 award prize money to the trust for venues, which operates to protect the UK's independent music venues.

He was given the award on October 16 as his third album People Watching was declared the top album of the previous year.

He has opted to give the cash to the Music Venues Trust, in recognition of the crucial part grassroots venues played in his beginning days.

"I personally wouldn't be doing this success if it wasn't for all the shows I played around the region, and beyond, when I was just getting going," remarked Sam Fender. "These locations are legendary, but they are in difficulty."

From early 2023 onward, more than 150 of these spaces have shut down – approximately 16 percent of the total UK scene.

In the last year, top acts including Pulp, the group Coldplay, the singer Katy Perry and Ed Sheeran have all aided the MVT in its attempts to support the industry, by adding a minor surcharge to their ticket prices, which supports independent venues.

Sam Fender also participated, collecting over £100k on his live tour to help thirty-eight local spots across the UK.

The donation supported venues that were facing potential shutdown due to difficulties caused by flooding, fire incidents and personal losses, as well as permit problems, conflicts and neighbor objections.

Other venues were granted monetary aid in modernizing amenities and technical equipment that directly benefitted performers and fans.

"The idea that funds from performances in major spaces helps the smaller venues, where it all starts for artists like me, is just logical," the star has stated.

The band Pulp on stage
The group are one of the many acts who contributed their honor winnings to good causes

The musician is not the first artist to give his honor winnings to charitable organizations.

In they earned the award in the mid-90s for their album the album, lead singer the singer stated that the group would give their cash to the charity War Child.

In 2002, rapper and singer Ms Dynamite split her award among multiple good causes, like the NSPCC and a charity for Sickle Cell.

"Additionally, I gave a £1,000 to the center, to their classes, because I did gymnastics when I was growing up and they required new equipment," she told the media.

In recent years, they donated their winnings to the youth organization that supported their band, alongside other independent music bodies.

Also winners that year they contributed their winnings to a multiple sclerosis charity after a close contact was diagnosed the disease.

"Winning was quite enough," said singer the singer. "The money was the bonus but we didn't require the cherry, because we had the main prize. So our victory touched somebody else's life."

Last week, the trust revealed it had protected a couple of local spots in south-east England, by bringing them into public stewardship.

The first in the city and the second in Bristol were acquired under the public acquisition scheme, which is supported by the arts council and music fans who purchase "stakes" in the buildings.

Written by

Mrs. Barbara Hines

Psicóloga especializada en análisis onírico con más de una década de experiencia ayudando a personas a entender sus sueños.

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