Sam Fender has donated the entirety of his twenty five thousand euro, Mercury Prize winnings to the Music Venues Trust (MVT), which works to preserve the UK’s grassroots music venues.
The star was presented with the cheque on 16 October as his third album People Watching was named the best record of the last 12 months.
He has decided to hand the money over to the MVT, in recognition of the vital role grassroots venues played in his early career.
In the last year, major artists including Pulp, Coldplay, Katy Perry and Ed Sheeran have all supported the MVT in its attempts to keep the scene afloat, by adding a small levy to their ticket prices, which goes to help smaller concert halls.
The money helped venues that were facing imminent closure due to challenges arising from floods, fires and bereavements, as well as licensing issues, legal disputes and noise complaints.
