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Sam Fender has handed over the entirety of his £25k award cash to the trust for venues, which operates to save the United Kingdom's grassroots music venues.

The star was given the award on mid-October as his latest record the album was chosen as the best record of the previous year.

He has decided to donate the funds to the Music Venues Trust, in recognition of the crucial part grassroots venues played in his initial steps.

"As an artist wouldn't be doing what I am doing today if it hadn't been for all the performances I played around the area, and further afield, when I was starting out," remarked Fender. "These venues are iconic, but they are struggling."

From early 2023 onward, over 150 of these venues have ceased operations – roughly 16 percent of the whole industry in the UK.

In the last year, major artists including the band Pulp, the group Coldplay, the singer Katy Perry and Sheeran have all backed the trust in its efforts to keep the scene afloat, by adding a small levy to their ticket costs, which benefits local stages.

Sam Fender also took part, raising over £100k on his recent tour to help thirty-eight local spots across Britain.

The donation assisted venues that were dealing with potential shutdown due to issues stemming from water damage, blazes and bereavements, as well as licensing issues, legal disputes and noise complaints.

Other venues obtained monetary aid in modernizing amenities and technical equipment that directly benefitted musicians and audiences.

"The concept that revenue from shows in big venues backs the independent spots, where it all starts for artists like me, is just common sense," Fender has stated.

Fender is far from the only musician to contribute his honor winnings to good deeds.

When they earned the prize in 1996 for their record Different Class, lead singer Jarvis Cocker stated that the act would donate their prize money to the charity the charity.

In 2002, musician she divided her award across multiple good causes, like the children's charity and a Sickle Cell organization.

"I also contributed a £1,000 to my local community centre, to their gymnastics class, because I did gymnastics when I was growing up and they needed better apparatus," she shared with outlets.

Previously, Ezra Collective contributed their prize money to the youth organization that nurtured their act, alongside other independent music bodies.

Additionally 1994 winners they donated their winnings to a multiple sclerosis charity after a acquaintance was identified with the disease.

"Winning was ample," stated artist Small. "The cash was the extra but we could do without the extra, because we had the honor. So our victory touched the lives of others."

In the past week, the trust announced it had saved two small stages in south-east England, by placing them under community ownership.

The first in Southampton and the other in that location were purchased under the community ownership initiative, which is backed by a national body and music fans who purchase "ownership units" in the buildings.