The artist contributes twenty-five thousand pounds Mercury Prize to small music venues

Sam Fender has handed over the complete sum of his £25,000 award winnings to the MVT, which operates to preserve the UK's independent live music spots.

The star was awarded the prize on 16 October as his third album People Watching was chosen as the top album of the previous year.

He has opted to donate the funds to the trust, in appreciation of the essential function grassroots venues fulfilled in his initial steps.

"I wouldn't be doing what I am doing today if it wasn't for all the shows I played around the region, and beyond, when I was starting out," remarked Fender. "These spaces are iconic, but they are struggling."

Since the start of 2023, more than 150 of these venues have shut down – roughly one-sixth of the total UK scene.

Recently, top acts including Pulp, Coldplay, Katy Perry and Ed Sheeran have all backed the Music Venues Trust in its initiatives to keep the scene afloat, by applying a small levy to their ticket prices, which goes to help local stages.

Fender also took part, collecting over £100k on his 2024 arena tour to assist numerous small stages across Britain.

The donation assisted locations that were facing possible closure due to issues arising from flooding, blazes and personal losses, as well as regulatory hurdles, legal disputes and sound issues.

Additional spaces were granted financial assistance in improving facilities and gear that helped musicians and fans.

"The concept that funds from concerts in big venues helps the smaller venues, where it begins for musicians like me, is just logical," the star has stated.

The musician is among several artists to contribute his award winnings to worthy causes.

In Pulp earned the prize in the mid-90s for their record their work, frontman Cocker stated that the act would give their cash to the organization the charity.

In 2002, artist Ms Dynamite shared her prize between several organizations, including the NSPCC and a Sickle Cell organization.

"And I gave a thousand pounds to my local community centre, to their classes, because I trained in gymnastics when I was younger and they required better apparatus," Ms Dynamite shared with a publication.

In recent years, the band donated their funds to the community center that developed their act, as well as other local music groups.

Also 1994 winners the group gave their prize to a charity for MS after a close contact was found to have the condition.

"Winning was sufficient," remarked vocalist the singer. "The prize was the extra but we could do without the extra, because we had the cake. So our victory touched somebody else's life."

Recently, the MVT shared it had saved a couple of local spots in that region, by transferring them to community ownership.

One venue in Southampton and the second in the city were bought under the Own Our Venues initiative, which is backed by a national body and enthusiasts who purchase "shares" in the venues.