The artist donates twenty-five thousand pounds cash award to independent live spaces

The artist has handed over the complete sum of his twenty-five thousand pound Mercury Prize winnings to the trust for venues, which operates to preserve the Britain's small concert spaces.

The star was presented with the prize on October 16 as his new release his work was chosen as the outstanding release of the previous year.

The musician has chosen to donate the funds to the trust, in acknowledgment of the essential function local spots played in his initial steps.

"I would not have achieved this success if it weren't for all the gigs I did around the North East, and elsewhere, when I was beginning," remarked Fender. "These locations are legendary, but they are struggling."

From early 2023 onward, more than 150 of these venues have shut down – approximately one-sixth of the entire UK sector.

In the last year, top acts including Pulp, the group Coldplay, Katy Perry and Ed Sheeran have all supported the MVT in its efforts to help venues survive, by adding a small levy to their ticket costs, which goes to help local stages.

Sam Fender also participated, generating in excess of £100,000 on his live tour to support numerous small stages across England, Scotland, and Wales.

The donation supported venues that were confronting imminent closure due to issues arising from water damage, fire incidents and family tragedies, as well as regulatory hurdles, conflicts and neighbor objections.

Additional spaces obtained monetary aid in modernizing facilities and technical equipment that directly benefitted musicians and concertgoers.

"The notion that money from shows in big venues backs the independent spots, where it begins for performers like me, is just sensible," Sam Fender has said.

He is far from the only musician to give his Mercury Prize prize money to charitable organizations.

When the band earned the prize in 1996 for their release Different Class, frontman Jarvis Cocker announced that the act would contribute their winnings to the organization War Child.

That year, musician Ms Dynamite split her award among multiple charities, including the children's charity and a Sickle Cell charity.

"Additionally, I contributed a £1,000 to the center, to their gymnastics class, because I practiced gymnastics when I was younger and they lacked new equipment," Ms Dynamite told the media.

In recent years, Ezra Collective gave their prize money to the local youth club that supported their group, alongside other independent music bodies.

Additionally the 1994 recipients they gave their award to a multiple sclerosis charity after a friend was identified with the condition.

"Winning was ample," remarked artist Small. "The cash was the bonus but we could do without the bonus, because we had the main prize. So our winning affected somebody else's life."

Last week, the trust revealed it had protected two small stages in that region, by bringing them into community ownership.

The Joiners in Southampton and The Croft in Bristol were purchased under the Own Our Venues scheme, which is backed by the arts council and enthusiasts who acquire "stakes" in the buildings.