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The artist has donated the complete sum of his twenty-five thousand pound honor cash to the MVT, which functions to protect the United Kingdom's small concert spaces.

Fender was presented with the award on mid-October as his third album People Watching was declared the best record of the last 12 months.

The musician has opted to hand the money over to the trust, in appreciation of the crucial part small stages fulfilled in his early career.

"I would not have achieved my current career if it weren't for all the shows I did around the area, and further afield, when I was beginning," said Sam Fender. "These venues are iconic, but they are struggling."

From early 2023 onward, at least 150 of these spaces have permanently closed – about 16% of the entire UK sector.

Over the past year, top acts such as the band Pulp, Coldplay, Katy Perry and Sheeran have all supported the trust in its attempts to support the industry, by applying a small levy to their ticket costs, which goes to help independent venues.

Fender also participated, raising over £100k on his recent tour to support thirty-eight local spots across the UK.

The donation assisted locations that were facing imminent closure due to difficulties caused by water damage, blazes and bereavements, as well as regulatory hurdles, court cases and neighbor objections.

Additional spaces received monetary aid in upgrading infrastructure and technical equipment that directly benefitted musicians and concertgoers.

"The concept that revenue from performances in large arenas supports the smaller venues, where it kicks off for musicians like me, is just sensible," the star has said.

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

Back when Pulp earned the award in the mid-90s for their release Different Class, frontman Jarvis Cocker announced that the act would donate their winnings to the non-profit War Child.

During 2002, rapper and singer Ms Dynamite split her award between multiple good causes, like the children's charity and a Sickle Cell organization.

"Additionally, I gave a grand to the center, to their gymnastics class, because I practiced gymnastics when I was growing up and they lacked better apparatus," Ms Dynamite explained to the media.

Previously, they donated their winnings to the youth organization that supported their act, in addition to other grassroots music organisations.

Additionally 1994 winners the group donated their prize to a MS organization after a close contact was diagnosed the illness.

"Receiving the award was quite enough," remarked vocalist Small. "The prize was the extra but we didn't need the bonus, because we had the honor. So our success touched another person's life."

Recently, the Music Venues Trust revealed it had saved a couple of grassroots venues in south-east England, by transferring them to public stewardship.

The first in the city and the second in the city were bought under the public acquisition program, which is supported by Arts Council England and music fans who acquire "shares" in the venues.