- Sam Fender raises £50,000 from People Watching Tour ticket donations, to be match funded through Youth Music’s Rescue the Roots campaign
- £100,000 will go directly to projects funded by Youth Music in the North East, where Sam grew up
- Rescue the Roots is a £2 million fundraising initiative to tackle the funding crisis threatening grassroots youth music projects across the UK
March 2026: BRIT Award-winning musician Sam Fender has donated £50,000 for leading young people’s music charity Youth Music through ticket donations from his recent People Watching Tour.
The money will be match funded through Youth Music’s Rescue the Rootscampaign – a £2 million fundraising drive to protect the future of grassroots youth music projects across the UK. And the total sum, £100,000, will be go directly to music projects reaching young people in the North East. Youth Music already invests £866,000 each year in grassroots youth projects and emerging talent across the North East, supporting 23 organisations and individuals.
Sam Fender says: “I’m proud to support Youth Music and their ‘Rescue the Roots’ campaign. Help for young people in the arts is scarce – projects like these are so important.”
The investment tackles persistent regional inequalities highlighted in Youth Music’s Sound of the Next Generation (SONG) report: only half (52%) of young people in the north of England see themselves as musical in comparison to 62% of people in the south.
The findings point to ongoing structural barriers outside of London, including fewer local industry connections, less access to decision-makers, and limited opportunities to perform and progress.
Carol Reid, interim Co-CEO at Youth Music, says: “We’re incredibly grateful to Sam for choosing to support Youth Music and young people in the North East. Music can change young people’s lives, but too many still face barriers to accessing it, just because of where they live. This crucial funding will help ensure opportunity isn’t dictated by postcode. It’s really encouraging to see more and more successful artists giving back to grassroots music, which is often where they learn their craft.”
Youth Music is a national charity funded thanks to the National Lottery via Arts Council England, players of People’s Postcode Lottery and support from partners, fundraisers and donors.
For more information on Youth Music and the projects it supports, please visit www.youthmusic.org.uk.