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The star has handed over the entirety of his £25k award winnings to the MVT, which operates to protect the UK's independent live music spots.

He was given the prize on October 16 as his third album People Watching was chosen as the best record of the previous year.

Fender has decided to hand the money over to the Music Venues Trust, in acknowledgment of the vital role small stages had in his early career.

"I personally would not have achieved what I am doing today if it wasn't for all the gigs I did around the region, and further afield, when I was just getting going," stated the artist. "These spaces are iconic, but they are facing challenges."

Since the start of 2023, over 150 of these spaces have shut down – about 16 percent of the total UK scene.

Recently, top acts such as the band Pulp, Coldplay, the singer Katy Perry and Ed Sheeran have all supported the trust in its attempts to support the industry, by adding a modest fee to their admission fees, which supports smaller concert halls.

Fender also took part, collecting in excess of £100,000 on his recent tour to help thirty-eight local spots across the UK.

These funds supported locations that were confronting potential shutdown due to difficulties arising from flooding, blazes and bereavements, as well as permit problems, legal disputes and noise complaints.

Other venues were granted monetary aid in upgrading amenities and gear that helped musicians and concertgoers.

"The concept that money from concerts in large arenas backs the smaller venues, where it begins for musicians like me, is just sensible," Sam Fender has said.

The musician is far from the only musician to donate his honor winnings to worthy causes.

When they received the award in the year 1996 for their record Different Class, frontman Jarvis Cocker stated that the group would contribute their cash to the non-profit the charity.

That year, artist the artist divided her prize among a few organizations, such as the NSPCC and a Sickle Cell charity.

"Additionally, I donated a grand to Highgate Newtown, to their classes, because I did gymnastics when I was growing up and they required better apparatus," she explained to the media.

In recent years, they donated their funds to the youth organization that supported their band, in addition to other independent music bodies.

Also winners that year M People contributed their winnings to a multiple sclerosis charity after a acquaintance was identified with the disease.

"Winning was sufficient," remarked singer Heather Small. "The cash was the bonus but we didn't need the bonus, because we had the main prize. So our victory touched somebody else's life."

Last week, the MVT shared it had protected a couple of grassroots venues in that region, by bringing them into public stewardship.

The Joiners in the city and the other in that location were purchased under the public acquisition initiative, which is supported by a national body and enthusiasts who acquire "shares" in the venues.