Sam Fender was celebrating on Tuesday night as his gig in aid of North East Homeless raised over £130,000 for the charity he is a staunch supporter of.
There was a mad scramble for tickets earlier this month after Sam announced that, having packed out the nearby Utilita Arena twice last month, he'd be playing a much more intimate gig at the O2 City Hall, the iconic venue that has played host to music legends like The Beatles and The Rolling Stones. Fans clamoured to get their hands on tickets via an online ballot, each making a donation to the charity, who hosted a celebration screening at their North Shields hub for Sam as he took home an award at this year's Brits.
Sam gave North East Homelessness a shout out on stage at the O2 Arena as he and his band accepted the Best Rock/Alternative trophy from Stones icon Ronnie Wood and he welcomed members of the organisation to the stage at the City Hall on Tuesday to present them with a giant cheque for the incredible sum of £133,725. Loud cheers filled the air as the capacity crowd, including Newcastle player Dan Burn, reacted to the total and, speaking after the gig Sam said: "It's been an honour to be able to put on such a special show in my hometown and to raise such a huge amount of money for North East Homeless.
READ MORE: Sam Fender gets hero's welcome in Newcastle
"I hope it will make a real difference to those in need. Massive thanks to O2 and to everyone involved and to all the fans who entered the ballot. For anyone who missed out this time, we'll be back in the toon again next year.”
Brian Burridge, Founder of North East Homeless, commented: “We’re so honoured and blown away by what Sam and his team are doing for North East Homeless, Sam has always supported us and helps us when we are challenging for change. O2 City Hall is iconic in the North East, we still can’t believe this is all happening.”
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