🔗 Share this article

The star has handed over the entirety of his £25k Mercury Prize winnings to the MVT, which works to preserve the Britain's grassroots concert spaces.

The star was awarded the prize on October 16 as his new release the album was declared the outstanding release of the previous year.

He has chosen to hand the money over to the trust, in recognition of the vital role small stages played in his initial steps.

"I couldn't be pursuing what I am doing today if it hadn't been for all the performances I performed around the North East, and elsewhere, when I was starting out," remarked Fender. "These locations are iconic, but they are struggling."

Beginning in 2023, more than 150 of these locations have permanently closed – about 16% of the entire UK sector.

In the last year, top acts such as Pulp, Coldplay, Katy Perry and Ed Sheeran have all backed the Music Venues Trust in its efforts to help venues survive, by including a modest fee to their admission fees, which supports smaller concert halls.

Fender also participated, raising more than £100,000 on his live tour to assist numerous local spots across Britain.

The donation supported venues that were facing possible closure due to issues arising from water damage, fires and family tragedies, as well as regulatory hurdles, conflicts and neighbor objections.

Some locations obtained financial assistance in upgrading facilities and sound and lighting systems that helped musicians and audiences.

"The notion that revenue from shows in major spaces backs the local stages, where it begins for musicians like me, is just common sense," Fender has said.

He is far from the only musician to give his award funds to worthy causes.

Back when the band earned the award in 1996 for their release their work, lead singer Cocker declared that the group would donate their winnings to the organization the charity.

That year, artist Ms Dynamite divided her prize among several organizations, including the children's charity and a Sickle Cell organization.

"Additionally, I gave a £1,000 to the center, to their classes, because I practiced gymnastics when I was a child and they lacked better apparatus," she explained to a publication.

Previously, Ezra Collective gave their winnings to the youth organization that developed their band, as well as other independent music bodies.

And the 1994 recipients M People gave their award to a MS organization after a acquaintance was identified with the illness.

"Winning was sufficient," said artist Heather Small. "The money was the bonus but we didn't require the bonus, because we had the honor. So our winning impacted another person's life."

Recently, the trust announced it had protected a couple of grassroots venues in south-east England, by placing them under local control.

The Joiners in the city and The Croft in that location were bought under the public acquisition initiative, which is supported by Arts Council England and enthusiasts who acquire "stakes" in the venues.