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The artist has donated the complete sum of his £25k Mercury Prize prize money to the MVT, which functions to protect the Britain's small music venues.

Fender was given the cheque on October 16 as his new release the album was named the best record of the past year.

He has chosen to give the cash to the MVT, in acknowledgment of the vital role grassroots venues had in his beginning days.

"I personally couldn't be pursuing my current career if it weren't for all the shows I performed around the area, and further afield, when I was just getting going," said Fender. "These spaces are legendary, but they are struggling."

From early 2023 onward, more than 150 of these locations have permanently closed – roughly 16% of the total UK scene.

In the last year, top acts including Pulp, Coldplay, Katy Perry and Ed Sheeran have all backed the trust in its attempts to help venues survive, by applying a small levy to their ticket prices, which supports local stages.

He also took part, collecting in excess of £100,000 on his recent tour to support thirty-eight local spots across the UK.

The donation helped venues that were confronting possible closure due to challenges stemming from floods, fire incidents and family tragedies, as well as licensing issues, legal disputes and neighbor objections.

Additional spaces received funding support in modernizing infrastructure and gear that directly benefitted musicians and audiences.

"The notion that funds from performances in major spaces supports the local stages, where it all starts for musicians like me, is just logical," Sam Fender has commented.

The musician is among several artists to give his award prize money to charitable organizations.

When Pulp won the award in 1996 for their album Different Class, frontman the singer declared that the band would give their winnings to the non-profit War Child.

In 2002, musician the artist divided her award among several charities, including the NSPCC and a charity for Sickle Cell.

"And I donated a grand to Highgate Newtown, to their gymnastics program, because I practiced gymnastics when I was a child and they lacked updated gear," Ms Dynamite explained to outlets.

Two years ago, the band donated their winnings to the community center that nurtured their group, as well as other independent music bodies.

And winners that year they donated their award to a MS organization after a acquaintance was diagnosed the condition.

"Receiving the award was quite enough," said vocalist the singer. "The prize was the extra but we didn't need the extra, because we had the cake. So our success affected somebody else's life."

Recently, the MVT announced it had protected several small stages in that region, by bringing them into public stewardship.

One venue in the city and the other in Bristol were purchased under the Own Our Venues initiative, which is backed by Arts Council England and enthusiasts who purchase "stakes" in the properties.