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The star has given the entirety of his twenty-five thousand pound Mercury Prize prize money to the trust for venues, which works to protect the Britain's small live music spots.

He was given the prize on 16 October as his third album his work was named the best record of the past year.

The musician has chosen to hand the money over to the trust, in recognition of the crucial part grassroots venues played in his early career.

"I would not have achieved my current career if it wasn't for all the gigs I played around the region, and further afield, when I was starting out," stated Sam Fender. "These venues are iconic, but they are facing challenges."

Since the start of 2023, more than 150 of these spaces have shut down – approximately one-sixth of the total UK scene.

In the last year, major artists including the band Pulp, Coldplay, the singer Katy Perry and Sheeran have all aided the trust in its attempts to help venues survive, by including a small levy to their ticket costs, which goes to help smaller concert halls.

Sam Fender also took part, generating over £100k on his live tour to help numerous small stages across the UK.

The donation assisted spaces that were dealing with potential shutdown due to difficulties arising from flooding, blazes and family tragedies, as well as licensing issues, court cases and neighbor objections.

Other venues obtained monetary aid in improving amenities and sound and lighting systems that positively impacted artists and fans.

"The concept that money from concerts in big venues supports the local stages, where it begins for performers like me, is just logical," Sam Fender has stated.

The musician is far from the only musician to give his award funds to worthy causes.

When they earned the award in 1996 for their album the album, lead singer Cocker stated that the act would give their cash to the organization War Child.

That year, musician she divided her award between a few good causes, like the NSPCC and a Sickle Cell organization.

"Additionally, I gave a grand to the center, to their gymnastics program, because I trained in gymnastics when I was growing up and they needed new equipment," she told a publication.

Two years ago, they contributed their winnings to the community center that nurtured their act, alongside other local music groups.

Additionally the 1994 recipients M People donated their award to a MS organization after a close contact was found to have the condition.

"Receiving the award was sufficient," stated singer Small. "The prize was the cherry on top but we didn't require the bonus, because we had the honor. So our victory touched another person's life."

In the past week, the Music Venues Trust revealed it had saved two local spots in south-east England, by bringing them into community ownership.

One venue in the city and the second in that location were bought under the Own Our Venues scheme, which is supported by Arts Council England and enthusiasts who buy "ownership units" in the buildings.