The artist donates £25,000 cash award to small concert halls
The artist has given the full amount of his twenty-five thousand pound award winnings to the trust for venues, which works to preserve the UK's independent concert spaces.
He was presented with the award on mid-October as his third album his work was declared the top album of the last 12 months.
The musician has decided to give the cash to the Music Venues Trust, in recognition of the vital role small stages played in his initial steps.
"I couldn't be pursuing my current career if it hadn't been for all the gigs I played around the region, and elsewhere, when I was just getting going," stated the artist. "These spaces are legendary, but they are facing challenges."
Since the start of 2023, more than 150 of these spaces have permanently closed – about 16 percent of the total UK scene.
Over the past year, top acts such as Pulp, Coldplay, Katy Perry and Sheeran have all backed the trust in its efforts to support the industry, by including a minor surcharge to their ticket prices, which goes to help independent venues.
Sam Fender also took part, raising over £100k on his recent tour to help thirty-eight grassroots venues across the UK.
The donation assisted spaces that were dealing with potential shutdown due to challenges arising from floods, fire incidents and family tragedies, as well as permit problems, conflicts and noise complaints.
Some locations received monetary aid in upgrading infrastructure and sound and lighting systems that directly benefitted artists and concertgoers.
"The notion that revenue from concerts in large arenas supports the independent spots, where it kicks off for musicians like me, is just sensible," the star has said.
The musician is far from the only musician to donate his Mercury Prize winnings to charitable organizations.
When the band earned the prize in 1996 for their release their work, frontman the singer stated that the band would donate their prize money to the non-profit War Child.
That year, artist the artist divided her prize between several good causes, including the NSPCC and a charity for Sickle Cell.
"Additionally, I contributed a £1,000 to the center, to their gymnastics class, because I practiced gymnastics when I was a child and they required better apparatus," Ms Dynamite told a publication.
Previously, the band gave their winnings to the local youth club that developed their group, as well as other local music groups.
And the 1994 recipients they gave their winnings to a multiple sclerosis charity after a close contact was diagnosed the condition.
"Receiving the award was quite enough," remarked vocalist the singer. "The prize was the cherry on top but we didn't need the cherry, because we had the cake. So our winning affected somebody else's life."
In the past week, the MVT announced it had protected a couple of local spots in that region, by placing them under community ownership.
One venue in that area and the second in the city were bought under the community ownership initiative, which is backed by a national body and enthusiasts who purchase "shares" in the buildings.