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Sam Fender has given the entirety of his twenty-five thousand pound award cash to the Music Venues Trust, which functions to protect the Britain's grassroots music venues.

Fender was presented with the award on 16 October as his new release 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 essential function small stages fulfilled in his initial steps.

"I couldn't be pursuing this success if it hadn't been for all the gigs I played around the area, and further afield, when I was starting out," stated the artist. "These spaces are renowned, but they are struggling."

Beginning in 2023, more than 150 of these spaces have ceased operations – roughly 16 percent of the total UK scene.

Over the past year, major artists like the band Pulp, Coldplay, Katy Perry and Ed Sheeran have all supported the MVT in its efforts to keep the scene afloat, by applying a modest fee to their admission fees, which supports smaller concert halls.

Fender also took part, collecting more than £100,000 on his 2024 arena tour to assist thirty-eight local spots across England, Scotland, and Wales.

The donation supported venues that were facing possible closure due to difficulties stemming from flooding, blazes and personal losses, as well as permit problems, court cases and neighbor objections.

Other venues obtained monetary aid in improving infrastructure and technical equipment that positively impacted performers and concertgoers.

"The idea that revenue from performances in major spaces supports the local stages, where it all starts for performers like me, is just common sense," Sam Fender has commented.

He is far from the only musician to donate his honor prize money to good deeds.

In Pulp won the award in the mid-90s for their release Different Class, vocalist Cocker stated that the act would donate their cash to the non-profit War Child.

In 2002, musician she split her prize among multiple charities, like the NSPCC and a Sickle Cell organization.

"Additionally, I gave a grand to Highgate Newtown, to their gymnastics class, because I trained in gymnastics when I was a child and they lacked better apparatus," Ms Dynamite explained to the media.

Two years ago, they gave their prize money to the youth organization that nurtured their group, as well as other local music groups.

Additionally 1994 winners the group donated their prize to a charity for MS after a close contact was diagnosed the disease.

"The victory was ample," remarked vocalist Heather Small. "The cash was the bonus but we didn't need the extra, because we had the honor. So our victory affected another person's life."

In the past week, the Music Venues Trust announced it had rescued two small stages in south-east England, by transferring them to community ownership.

One venue in Southampton and The Croft in Bristol were purchased under the Own Our Venues initiative, which is funded by the arts council and enthusiasts who buy "stakes" in the venues.