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Friday, October 9, 2026
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Sam Fender donates £25,000 award winnings to independent music venues

The artist receiving his trophy in his hometown
The musician was awarded the honor in October in the North East

The star has handed over the full amount of his twenty-five thousand pound honor winnings to the trust for venues, which functions to preserve the Britain's independent music venues.

He was given the prize on 16 October as his new release People Watching was named the best record of the previous year.

He has opted to hand the money over to the MVT, in recognition of the vital role local spots played in his early career.

"I personally wouldn't be doing my current career if it hadn't been for all the shows I did around the area, and beyond, when I was beginning," remarked Fender. "These venues are iconic, but they are in difficulty."

From early 2023 onward, at least 150 of these spaces have permanently closed – about one-sixth of the entire UK sector.

Recently, well-known musicians such as Pulp, the group Coldplay, Katy Perry and Ed Sheeran have all aided the Music Venues Trust in its attempts to keep the scene afloat, by including a modest fee to their admission fees, which goes to help smaller concert halls.

He also took part, generating in excess of £100,000 on his recent tour to help 38 grassroots venues across the UK.

The donation helped spaces that were facing imminent closure due to difficulties arising from water damage, fires and personal losses, as well as permit problems, conflicts and sound issues.

Other venues were granted funding support in improving amenities and gear that helped artists and audiences.

"The notion that funds from concerts in big venues supports the local stages, where it all starts for musicians like me, is just common sense," Sam Fender has stated.

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

He is not the first artist to contribute his honor funds to charitable organizations.

In they earned the award in the year 1996 for their release Different Class, frontman Cocker stated that the act would give their winnings to the non-profit War Child.

During 2002, artist the artist shared her award between several charities, including the NSPCC and a charity for Sickle Cell.

"And I contributed a £1,000 to my local community centre, to their gymnastics class, because I trained in gymnastics when I was a child and they needed new equipment," Ms Dynamite told outlets.

Two years ago, they donated their funds to the youth organization that developed their band, in addition to other local music groups.

And winners that year they donated their prize to a charity for MS after a acquaintance was identified with the condition.

"The victory was quite enough," stated vocalist Small. "The prize was the bonus but we didn't require the cherry, because we had the honor. So our winning touched the lives of others."

Last week, the MVT shared it had saved several local spots in that region, by bringing them into public stewardship.

One venue in the city and the other in that location were bought under the Own Our Venues scheme, which is backed by Arts Council England and supporters who purchase "shares" in the properties.

By

Kim Martin

Lena Visser is a Dutch designer and writer passionate about visual storytelling and digital innovation.

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