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The star has donated the complete sum of his £25,000 honor winnings to the trust for venues, which operates to save the United Kingdom's grassroots music venues.

He was awarded the award on 16 October as his new release his work was chosen as the best record of the past year.

Fender has decided to hand the money over to the trust, in recognition of the essential function local spots had in his initial steps.

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

From early 2023 onward, more than 150 of these spaces have ceased operations – about 16 percent of the whole industry in the UK.

In the last year, well-known musicians including Pulp, Coldplay, the singer Katy Perry and Ed Sheeran have all aided the MVT in its efforts to keep the scene afloat, by applying a small levy to their ticket prices, which goes to help independent venues.

He also joined in, raising in excess of £100,000 on his live tour to assist 38 grassroots venues across the UK.

These funds assisted spaces that were confronting possible closure due to issues stemming from water damage, fire incidents and bereavements, as well as regulatory hurdles, court cases and neighbor objections.

Some locations obtained financial assistance in modernizing infrastructure and sound and lighting systems that directly benefitted performers and audiences.

"The concept that money from concerts in large arenas helps the smaller venues, where it all starts for performers like me, is just logical," Fender has stated.

The musician is not the first artist to donate his honor prize money to charitable organizations.

When they earned the trophy in the mid-90s for their release Different Class, vocalist Cocker announced that the band would donate their cash to the non-profit War Child.

That year, rapper and singer she shared her award between multiple charities, including the children's charity and a Sickle Cell organization.

"I also gave a thousand pounds to Highgate Newtown, to their gymnastics program, because I did gymnastics when I was growing up and they needed better apparatus," she told outlets.

In recent years, the band donated their prize money to the local youth club that nurtured their band, in addition to other independent music bodies.

Additionally 1994 winners the group gave their winnings to a multiple sclerosis charity after a close contact was identified with the illness.

"Winning was sufficient," remarked vocalist Small. "The cash was the extra but we didn't need the bonus, because we had the honor. So our success impacted the lives of others."

Last week, the trust announced it had saved two grassroots venues in the South East, by transferring them to community ownership.

The first in Southampton and the second in Bristol were purchased under the Own Our Venues initiative, which is funded by the arts council and enthusiasts who purchase "stakes" in the venues.