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Saturday, October 17, 2026
Your Daily Digest UK

The artist gives twenty-five thousand pounds Mercury Prize to independent music venues

Sam Fender holding his trophy in the North East
He won the honor recently in his hometown

The star has donated the entirety of his £25,000 award winnings to the trust for venues, which works to preserve the United Kingdom's independent live music spots.

He was presented with the award on mid-October as his third album the album was declared the top album of the previous year.

Fender has chosen to donate the funds to the MVT, in appreciation of the crucial part local spots fulfilled in his early career.

"I would not have achieved this success if it weren't for all the gigs I played around the region, and elsewhere, when I was beginning," remarked the artist. "These spaces are iconic, but they are in difficulty."

From early 2023 onward, more than 150 of these locations have ceased operations – about 16 percent of the whole industry in the UK.

In the last year, top acts such as the band Pulp, Coldplay, Katy Perry and Ed Sheeran have all aided the MVT in its initiatives to help venues survive, by applying a small levy to their admission fees, which goes to help independent venues.

Sam Fender also participated, collecting in excess of £100,000 on his live tour to support numerous grassroots venues across Britain.

These funds helped venues that were confronting potential shutdown due to issues stemming from water damage, blazes and personal losses, as well as licensing issues, court cases and noise complaints.

Additional spaces were granted funding support in upgrading amenities and sound and lighting systems that positively impacted musicians and fans.

"The notion that revenue from concerts in large arenas helps the local stages, where it begins for artists like me, is just sensible," the star has said.

The band Pulp performing
Pulp are one of the many acts who donated their award funds to good causes

The musician is among several artists to contribute his honor prize money to good deeds.

Back when Pulp won the trophy in the mid-90s for their release their work, frontman the singer announced that the group would give their cash to the charity the charity.

During 2002, rapper and singer the artist shared her bounty among multiple charities, like the children's charity and a Sickle Cell organization.

"I also gave a grand to Highgate Newtown, to their gymnastics program, because I practiced gymnastics when I was growing up and they required updated gear," Ms Dynamite explained to outlets.

Previously, Ezra Collective contributed their funds to the community center that developed their group, in addition to other grassroots music organisations.

And the 1994 recipients M People contributed their prize to a charity for MS after a friend was found to have the disease.

"Winning was sufficient," said singer Heather Small. "The prize was the cherry on top but we didn't require the extra, because we had the honor. So our winning touched another person's life."

In the past week, the MVT revealed it had protected a couple of grassroots venues in south-east England, by bringing them into community ownership.

One venue in the city and the other in Bristol were bought under the public acquisition scheme, which is backed by the arts council and supporters who buy "stakes" in the venues.

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Daniel Bowman

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