🔗 Share this article

The artist has donated the complete sum of his £25,000 honor cash to the Music Venues Trust, which operates to protect the Britain's small concert spaces.

Fender was presented with the prize on mid-October as his third album his work was chosen as the outstanding release of the previous year.

He has decided to hand the money over to the Music Venues Trust, in recognition of the essential function grassroots venues played in his initial steps.

"As an artist couldn't be pursuing my current career if it wasn't for all the performances I performed around the North East, and elsewhere, when I was beginning," stated the artist. "These locations are renowned, but they are in difficulty."

Beginning in 2023, at least 150 of these spaces have ceased operations – about 16% of the entire UK sector.

In the last year, major artists such as the band Pulp, Coldplay, Katy Perry and Sheeran have all supported the Music Venues Trust in its attempts to support the industry, by adding a minor surcharge to their ticket prices, which supports independent venues.

Fender also took part, collecting more than £100,000 on his 2024 arena tour to help thirty-eight small stages across England, Scotland, and Wales.

These funds assisted venues that were facing possible closure due to difficulties arising from water damage, fire incidents and personal losses, as well as permit problems, legal disputes and sound issues.

Some locations obtained financial assistance in improving infrastructure and sound and lighting systems that helped artists and concertgoers.

"The notion that funds from shows in major spaces helps the local stages, where it all starts for musicians like me, is just logical," the star has said.

Fender is far from the only musician to give his honor funds to good deeds.

Back when they earned the trophy in the year 1996 for their album Different Class, lead singer the singer announced that the group would donate their cash to the organization the charity.

In 2002, musician Ms Dynamite split her bounty across multiple good causes, such as the NSPCC and a Sickle Cell organization.

"I also gave a thousand pounds to my local community centre, to their classes, because I practiced gymnastics when I was growing up and they lacked better apparatus," the artist told a publication.

Previously, Ezra Collective contributed their funds to the community center that developed their band, in addition to other independent music bodies.

And 1994 winners the group contributed their award to a multiple sclerosis charity after a friend was identified with the condition.

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

In the past week, the Music Venues Trust announced it had saved a couple of grassroots venues in south-east England, by placing them under local control.

One venue in that area and the second in the city were bought under the Own Our Venues initiative, which is funded by a national body and music fans who acquire "shares" in the properties.