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Sam Fender has donated the full amount of his twenty-five thousand pound award cash to the MVT, which operates to preserve the Britain's grassroots music venues.

The star was given the award on 16 October as his third album People Watching was named the outstanding release of the previous year.

The musician has chosen to give the cash to the Music Venues Trust, in acknowledgment of the essential function local spots played in his beginning days.

"As an artist couldn't be pursuing my current career if it weren't for all the shows I did around the region, and elsewhere, when I was just getting going," remarked Fender. "These spaces are renowned, but they are struggling."

From early 2023 onward, at least 150 of these venues have ceased operations – about 16 percent of the entire UK sector.

Over the past year, well-known musicians like the band Pulp, the group Coldplay, Katy Perry and Ed Sheeran have all backed the trust in its efforts to support the industry, by adding a small levy to their ticket costs, which benefits local stages.

Fender also took part, raising over £100k on his 2024 arena tour to support thirty-eight grassroots venues across Britain.

These funds supported venues that were confronting potential shutdown due to issues caused by floods, fires and bereavements, as well as regulatory hurdles, court cases and noise complaints.

Additional spaces obtained funding support in modernizing infrastructure and gear that helped artists and concertgoers.

"The idea that money from performances in big venues backs the independent spots, where it all starts for artists like me, is just logical," the star has stated.

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

In they received the prize in 1996 for their album their work, vocalist Cocker announced that the band would give their winnings to the organization War Child.

In 2002, musician Ms Dynamite split her award between several good causes, including the NSPCC and a Sickle Cell organization.

"Additionally, I donated a grand to the center, to their gymnastics class, because I trained in gymnastics when I was growing up and they required updated gear," she shared with outlets.

Previously, they contributed their funds to the local youth club that supported their act, as well as other local music groups.

Also 1994 winners the group contributed their winnings to a charity for MS after a close contact was found to have the illness.

"Receiving the award was sufficient," stated artist the singer. "The cash was the bonus but we didn't require the bonus, because we had the main prize. So our winning impacted another person's life."

In the past week, the trust revealed it had rescued two grassroots venues in that region, by bringing them into public stewardship.

The Joiners in the city and The Croft in that location were purchased under the public acquisition scheme, which is funded by the arts council and enthusiasts who purchase "stakes" in the venues.