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The star has given the entirety of his twenty-five thousand pound honor prize money to the Music Venues Trust, which operates to protect the UK's independent music venues.

Fender was awarded the cheque on mid-October as his new release People Watching was declared the top album of the past year.

The musician has chosen to hand the money over to the MVT, in appreciation of the vital role grassroots venues fulfilled in his initial steps.

"I wouldn't be doing what I am doing today if it hadn't been for all the shows I played around the region, and further afield, when I was starting out," said Fender. "These spaces are legendary, but they are in difficulty."

Beginning in 2023, over 150 of these venues have permanently closed – approximately 16 percent of the total UK scene.

Over the past year, major artists including Pulp, the group Coldplay, Katy Perry and Sheeran have all supported the MVT in its efforts to keep the scene afloat, by including a small levy to their ticket costs, which supports local stages.

Sam Fender also took part, collecting more than £100,000 on his 2024 arena tour to help numerous grassroots venues across Britain.

These funds helped locations that were confronting possible closure due to difficulties caused by flooding, blazes and bereavements, as well as permit problems, court cases and neighbor objections.

Some locations received financial assistance in upgrading facilities and sound and lighting systems that helped musicians and concertgoers.

"The notion that revenue from performances in major spaces supports the independent spots, where it all starts for artists like me, is just common sense," the star has stated.

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

In Pulp received the trophy in the mid-90s for their record Different Class, vocalist Cocker stated that the act would donate their cash to the charity War Child.

During 2002, rapper and singer Ms Dynamite shared her prize between multiple charities, such as the children's charity and a Sickle Cell charity.

"I also contributed a thousand pounds to my local community centre, to their gymnastics program, because I trained in gymnastics when I was growing up and they lacked new equipment," Ms Dynamite shared with a publication.

Two years ago, the band contributed their funds to the local youth club that supported their band, alongside other independent music bodies.

And winners that year they contributed their award to a charity for MS after a acquaintance was identified with the condition.

"Receiving the award was quite enough," stated artist Small. "The prize was the cherry on top but we didn't need the cherry, because we had the main prize. So our success touched somebody else's life."

In the past week, the MVT revealed it had rescued two small stages in the South East, by bringing them into community ownership.

The first in Southampton and the other in the city were bought under the community ownership program, which is supported by Arts Council England and supporters who buy "stakes" in the buildings.