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The artist has handed over the complete sum of his £25k Mercury Prize winnings to the Music Venues Trust, which works to protect the Britain's independent concert spaces.

The star was given the award on mid-October as his latest record the album was named the top album of the last 12 months.

Fender has opted to give the cash to the Music Venues Trust, in recognition of the essential function local spots fulfilled in his beginning days.

"As an artist wouldn't be doing what I am doing today if it weren't for all the shows I played around the region, and beyond, when I was starting out," said Fender. "These locations are legendary, but they are struggling."

Since the start of 2023, more than 150 of these venues have shut down – about one-sixth of the whole industry in the UK.

Recently, well-known musicians such as the band Pulp, Coldplay, Katy Perry and Sheeran have all supported the trust in its attempts to help venues survive, by applying a small levy to their ticket costs, which goes to help smaller concert halls.

Fender also joined in, collecting in excess of £100,000 on his live tour to assist thirty-eight small stages across England, Scotland, and Wales.

The money supported locations that were confronting imminent closure due to challenges caused by water damage, fire incidents and bereavements, as well as licensing issues, legal disputes and neighbor objections.

Other venues obtained monetary aid in improving facilities and sound and lighting systems that directly benefitted performers and audiences.

"The concept that money from performances in major spaces helps the local stages, where it begins for performers like me, is just common sense," Sam Fender has commented.

Fender is far from the only musician to contribute his award winnings to good deeds.

When they earned the prize in 1996 for their album Different Class, vocalist the singer stated that the act would give their prize money to the organization War Child.

That year, musician she divided her bounty between a few charities, including the children's charity and a Sickle Cell organization.

"And I donated a grand to Highgate Newtown, to their gymnastics class, because I did gymnastics when I was a child and they required updated gear," Ms Dynamite shared with outlets.

In recent years, the band donated their prize money to the youth organization that nurtured their band, alongside other grassroots music organisations.

Also winners that year M People donated their award to a multiple sclerosis charity after a acquaintance was diagnosed the illness.

"Receiving the award was sufficient," said singer Small. "The prize was the bonus but we could do without the bonus, because we had the honor. So our victory affected the lives of others."

In the past week, the Music Venues Trust announced it had rescued two local spots in that region, by transferring them to community ownership.

One venue in the city and the other in that location were bought under the community ownership initiative, which is supported by the arts council and supporters who buy "stakes" in the buildings.