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Sam Fender has given the complete sum of his £25,000 honor prize money to the trust for venues, which operates to protect the UK's small music venues.

Fender was awarded the award on October 16 as his new release his work was chosen as the outstanding release of the last 12 months.

The musician has chosen to give the cash to the Music Venues Trust, in recognition of the vital role local spots fulfilled in his early career.

"I wouldn't be doing this success if it hadn't been for all the performances I did around the North East, and elsewhere, when I was beginning," stated the artist. "These spaces are renowned, but they are struggling."

From early 2023 onward, at least 150 of these spaces have shut down – about 16 percent of the total UK scene.

In the last year, top acts including Pulp, Coldplay, the singer Katy Perry and Ed Sheeran have all backed the Music Venues Trust in its attempts to help venues survive, by applying a small levy to their ticket prices, which goes to help smaller concert halls.

Fender also participated, generating more than £100,000 on his recent tour to support numerous grassroots venues across England, Scotland, and Wales.

The money supported spaces that were confronting possible closure due to issues stemming from floods, blazes and personal losses, as well as regulatory hurdles, legal disputes and neighbor objections.

Other venues were granted funding support in upgrading amenities and sound and lighting systems that helped performers and fans.

"The idea that money from shows in big venues backs the independent spots, where it kicks off for musicians like me, is just sensible," the star has commented.

He is far from the only musician to donate his Mercury Prize funds to worthy causes.

In they won the trophy in the mid-90s for their record the album, vocalist Cocker announced that the act would give their winnings to the charity War Child.

That year, musician Ms Dynamite shared her award among a few charities, such as the children's charity and a Sickle Cell organization.

"And I contributed a grand to my local community centre, to their gymnastics class, because I practiced gymnastics when I was growing up and they needed better apparatus," she shared with the media.

In recent years, the band donated their winnings to the community center that nurtured their group, as well as other local music groups.

Also winners that year the group gave their prize to a charity for MS after a friend was diagnosed the condition.

"Winning was ample," remarked vocalist Small. "The money was the bonus but we didn't need the cherry, because we had the main prize. So our victory affected the lives of others."

Last week, the MVT shared it had rescued several grassroots venues in south-east England, by placing them under local control.

The first in the city and the other in Bristol were bought under the public acquisition program, which is funded by Arts Council England and supporters who purchase "ownership units" in the properties.