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Sam Fender has given the full amount of his twenty-five thousand pound award cash to the Music Venues Trust, which functions to preserve the United Kingdom's grassroots live music spots.

The star was given the prize on 16 October as his new release People Watching was named the best record of the last 12 months.

The musician has decided to give the cash to the Music Venues Trust, in recognition of the vital role small stages played in his early career.

"I personally wouldn't be doing what I am doing today if it hadn't been for all the shows I performed around the region, and further afield, when I was just getting going," said Fender. "These spaces are legendary, but they are facing challenges."

From early 2023 onward, at least 150 of these locations have shut down – approximately 16% of the whole industry in the UK.

Recently, major artists such as Pulp, Coldplay, Katy Perry and Ed Sheeran have all supported the Music Venues Trust in its initiatives to keep the scene afloat, by adding a small levy to their admission fees, which benefits independent venues.

He also joined in, collecting more than £100,000 on his live tour to support numerous small stages across Britain.

The money assisted venues that were dealing with imminent closure due to difficulties arising from floods, fires and family tragedies, as well as licensing issues, court cases and noise complaints.

Other venues obtained monetary aid in modernizing facilities and technical equipment that directly benefitted performers and audiences.

"The notion that money from performances in big venues backs the independent spots, where it all starts for musicians like me, is just sensible," Sam Fender has stated.

The musician is among several artists to contribute his Mercury Prize winnings to worthy causes.

When they received the award in the year 1996 for their record Different Class, frontman Cocker declared that the group would contribute their cash to the organization the charity.

In 2002, musician Ms Dynamite shared her prize among a few charities, like the NSPCC and a Sickle Cell organization.

"And I donated a £1,000 to Highgate Newtown, to their gymnastics class, because I trained in gymnastics when I was a child and they lacked better apparatus," the artist shared with outlets.

In recent years, they gave their funds to the youth organization that supported their band, in addition to other independent music bodies.

And winners that year they contributed their winnings to a charity for MS after a acquaintance was diagnosed the illness.

"Receiving the award was sufficient," stated vocalist Heather Small. "The prize was the bonus but we didn't need the extra, because we had the cake. So our winning impacted somebody else's life."

Last week, the trust revealed it had protected several local spots in south-east England, by transferring them to local control.

The first in Southampton and the other in that location were purchased under the community ownership initiative, which is backed by a national body and enthusiasts who buy "ownership units" in the buildings.