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Sam Fender has given the full amount of his £25,000 honor cash to the trust for venues, which operates to protect the UK's small music venues.

Fender was awarded the cheque on 16 October as his latest record the album was named the best record of the past year.

The musician has decided to donate the funds to the MVT, in appreciation of the crucial part grassroots venues played in his early career.

"I personally wouldn't be doing this success if it hadn't been for all the performances I played around the North East, and elsewhere, when I was starting out," remarked Sam Fender. "These venues are iconic, but they are in difficulty."

From early 2023 onward, more than 150 of these spaces have permanently closed – roughly 16% of the entire UK sector.

Over the past year, major artists including the band Pulp, the group Coldplay, Katy Perry and Ed Sheeran have all supported the Music Venues Trust in its initiatives to support the industry, by applying a minor surcharge to their ticket costs, which benefits local stages.

Sam Fender also took part, raising over £100k on his recent tour to help 38 small stages across England, Scotland, and Wales.

The money supported spaces that were facing imminent closure due to challenges caused by flooding, blazes and bereavements, as well as regulatory hurdles, conflicts and noise complaints.

Some locations received monetary aid in improving amenities and sound and lighting systems that helped musicians and concertgoers.

"The idea that revenue from concerts in big venues helps the independent spots, where it begins for artists like me, is just logical," Fender has commented.

Fender is not the first artist to donate his Mercury Prize prize money to charitable organizations.

When they earned the trophy in 1996 for their record their work, vocalist the singer announced that the band would donate their cash to the non-profit the charity.

In 2002, artist the artist divided her prize across several organizations, including the NSPCC and a Sickle Cell organization.

"And I contributed a £1,000 to Highgate Newtown, to their gymnastics program, because I did gymnastics when I was a child and they lacked updated gear," Ms Dynamite explained to outlets.

Previously, the band donated their funds to the local youth club that supported their act, in addition to other independent music bodies.

And the 1994 recipients M People gave their prize to a charity for MS after a close contact was identified with the disease.

"Winning was quite enough," stated artist Small. "The prize was the bonus but we didn't need the cherry, because we had the cake. So our winning touched somebody else's life."

Recently, the trust shared it had rescued several grassroots venues in the South East, by transferring them to public stewardship.

One venue in that area and the other in the city were acquired under the community ownership program, which is funded by the arts council and music fans who acquire "ownership units" in the buildings.