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The star has given the full amount of his £25k award cash to the Music Venues Trust, which functions to preserve the Britain's small music venues.

The star was given the cheque on October 16 as his third album the album was declared the best record of the previous year.

Fender has decided to donate the funds to the trust, in appreciation of the crucial part local spots had in his beginning days.

"I personally couldn't be pursuing this success if it hadn't been for all the shows I did around the region, and elsewhere, when I was just getting going," stated Sam Fender. "These venues are renowned, but they are in difficulty."

Since the start of 2023, over 150 of these spaces have shut down – roughly 16 percent of the whole industry in the UK.

Recently, top acts like Pulp, Coldplay, Katy Perry and Ed Sheeran have all supported the Music Venues Trust in its efforts to help venues survive, by including a minor surcharge to their admission fees, which supports smaller concert halls.

Sam Fender also participated, generating more than £100,000 on his recent tour to assist thirty-eight local spots across England, Scotland, and Wales.

These funds helped locations that were dealing with imminent closure due to issues stemming from flooding, blazes and personal losses, as well as licensing issues, court cases and sound issues.

Some locations received financial assistance in upgrading amenities and gear that helped artists and fans.

"The notion that funds from concerts in large arenas helps the smaller venues, where it all starts for musicians like me, is just sensible," Sam Fender has said.

He is among several artists to donate his award funds to worthy causes.

Back when Pulp earned the award in 1996 for their record Different Class, frontman Jarvis Cocker stated that the group would donate their winnings to the charity the charity.

In 2002, rapper and singer Ms Dynamite split her award between a few charities, such as the NSPCC and a Sickle Cell organization.

"Additionally, I gave a £1,000 to my local community centre, to their gymnastics program, because I practiced gymnastics when I was growing up and they lacked new equipment," she told a publication.

In recent years, the band contributed their funds to the community center that developed their band, alongside other local music groups.

Additionally winners that year M People contributed their prize to a multiple sclerosis charity after a close contact was found to have the condition.

"Receiving the award was sufficient," remarked singer Heather Small. "The prize was the cherry on top but we didn't require the bonus, because we had the main prize. So our success touched the lives of others."

Recently, the MVT revealed it had rescued several grassroots venues in that region, by transferring them to public stewardship.

The first in Southampton and the second in Bristol were bought under the public acquisition scheme, which is backed by Arts Council England and supporters who acquire "stakes" in the buildings.