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Sam Fender gives his £25k prize cash award to grassroots music venues

The artist accepting his trophy in the North East
The musician won the prestigious award recently in the North East

The artist has donated the full amount of his twenty-five thousand pound Mercury Prize winnings to the MVT, which operates to preserve the UK's independent music venues.

Fender was given the prize on 16 October as his new release his work was named the outstanding release of the past year.

The musician has opted to give the cash to the trust, in recognition of the crucial part local spots played in his early career.

"I personally couldn't be pursuing what I am doing today if it weren't for all the performances I played around the region, and further afield, when I was beginning," said Fender. "These spaces are legendary, but they are facing challenges."

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

In the last year, well-known musicians including Pulp, the group Coldplay, Katy Perry and Sheeran have all backed the Music Venues Trust in its attempts to keep the scene afloat, by applying a minor surcharge to their admission fees, which benefits local stages.

Fender also took part, collecting more than £100,000 on his live tour to help thirty-eight small stages across Britain.

These funds assisted venues that were facing imminent closure due to issues arising from floods, blazes and personal losses, as well as permit problems, conflicts and sound issues.

Other venues were granted funding support in improving infrastructure and sound and lighting systems that helped performers and concertgoers.

"The idea that money from shows in major spaces supports the local stages, where it all starts for musicians like me, is just logical," Sam Fender has stated.

Pulp performing
They are among the artists who donated their Mercury Prize prize money to charity

The musician is far from the only musician to contribute his Mercury Prize winnings to good deeds.

When the band received the prize in the year 1996 for their release the album, lead singer the singer announced that the act would contribute their prize money to the organization War Child.

In 2002, rapper and singer Ms Dynamite split her bounty across multiple organizations, including the NSPCC and a Sickle Cell organization.

"I also donated a £1,000 to the center, to their classes, because I practiced gymnastics when I was younger and they required new equipment," she explained to a publication.

Two years ago, the band contributed their prize money to the community center that developed their act, in addition to other local music groups.

Additionally 1994 winners they gave their prize to a MS organization after a acquaintance was found to have the disease.

"The victory was ample," remarked artist the singer. "The prize was the cherry on top but we didn't need the extra, because we had the main prize. So our success touched the lives of others."

Recently, the Music Venues Trust shared it had protected a couple of local spots in south-east England, by placing them under public stewardship.

The Joiners in Southampton and the second in that location were acquired under the Own Our Venues initiative, which is supported by Arts Council England and enthusiasts who buy "ownership units" in the buildings.

By

Hunter Owens

A seasoned gaming analyst with over a decade of experience in online casinos, specializing in slot machine mechanics and player psychology.

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