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The star has handed over the full amount of his £25,000 award prize money to the MVT, which functions to protect the Britain's grassroots concert spaces.

Fender was given the cheque on 16 October as his latest record the album was named the outstanding release of the last 12 months.

He has opted to donate the funds to the Music Venues Trust, in acknowledgment of the crucial part local spots had in his initial steps.

"As an artist would not have achieved my current career if it hadn't been for all the gigs I played around the region, and elsewhere, when I was beginning," remarked Sam Fender. "These venues are renowned, but they are struggling."

Beginning in 2023, over 150 of these locations have shut down – about 16 percent of the total UK scene.

Over the past year, well-known musicians such as Pulp, Coldplay, Katy Perry and Ed Sheeran have all supported the trust in its initiatives to support the industry, by adding a modest fee to their admission fees, which supports independent venues.

Sam Fender also participated, generating in excess of £100,000 on his live tour to assist numerous grassroots venues across Britain.

These funds assisted venues that were dealing with potential shutdown due to challenges stemming from water damage, fire incidents and family tragedies, as well as permit problems, court cases and neighbor objections.

Other venues were granted financial assistance in improving facilities and technical equipment that directly benefitted performers and fans.

"The concept that revenue from shows in big venues backs the independent spots, where it kicks off for musicians like me, is just common sense," Fender has commented.

He is among several artists to donate his award prize money to good deeds.

When Pulp received the prize in the mid-90s for their release Different Class, frontman Cocker stated that the group would donate their prize money to the non-profit War Child.

In 2002, musician she divided her award across a few good causes, including the NSPCC and a charity for Sickle Cell.

"And I gave a thousand pounds to the center, to their gymnastics program, because I trained in gymnastics when I was younger and they lacked new equipment," she shared with outlets.

In recent years, they gave their funds to the local youth club that developed their group, in addition to other local music groups.

And 1994 winners they contributed their winnings to a MS organization after a friend was identified with the disease.

"Winning was sufficient," stated singer the singer. "The money was the cherry on top but we didn't require the bonus, because we had the cake. So our victory touched another person's life."

In the past week, the trust revealed it had protected two small stages in the South East, by placing them under community ownership.

The first in the city and the second in Bristol were bought under the Own Our Venues initiative, which is funded by Arts Council England and enthusiasts who acquire "ownership units" in the venues.