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Sam Fender has given the entirety of his £25,000 honor cash to the trust for venues, which operates to preserve the Britain's independent live music spots.

The star was presented with the cheque on October 16 as his latest record the album was named the outstanding release of the previous year.

The musician has opted to hand the money over to the Music Venues Trust, in recognition of the essential function small stages had in his initial steps.

"As an artist wouldn't be doing this success if it weren't for all the gigs I did around the North East, and beyond, when I was just getting going," stated Fender. "These locations are iconic, but they are facing challenges."

Since the start of 2023, more than 150 of these venues have permanently closed – roughly one-sixth of the total UK scene.

Recently, top acts including the band Pulp, Coldplay, Katy Perry and Sheeran have all backed the trust in its attempts to support the industry, by applying a minor surcharge to their ticket prices, which supports smaller concert halls.

Sam Fender also joined in, generating in excess of £100,000 on his recent tour to assist numerous local spots across Britain.

The donation helped spaces that were facing potential shutdown due to difficulties caused by floods, fires and bereavements, as well as regulatory hurdles, court cases and neighbor objections.

Additional spaces were granted monetary aid in modernizing facilities and sound and lighting systems that positively impacted artists and fans.

"The concept that revenue from shows in large arenas helps the smaller venues, where it all starts for performers like me, is just common sense," the star has said.

The musician is not the first artist to give his award funds to good deeds.

Back when Pulp won the trophy in 1996 for their album the album, vocalist Cocker announced that the act would donate their cash to the organization War Child.

During 2002, musician Ms Dynamite shared her prize across several good causes, such as the NSPCC and a Sickle Cell charity.

"Additionally, I gave a £1,000 to Highgate Newtown, to their gymnastics program, because I trained in gymnastics when I was a child and they lacked updated gear," she explained to the media.

In recent years, they donated their winnings to the local youth club that nurtured their act, in addition to other grassroots music organisations.

And 1994 winners the group donated their winnings to a multiple sclerosis charity after a friend was identified with the disease.

"The victory was quite enough," remarked vocalist Small. "The money was the bonus but we didn't need the bonus, because we had the honor. So our winning touched the lives of others."

Last week, the trust revealed it had protected two local spots in the South East, by bringing them into local control.

One venue in the city and the other in Bristol were acquired under the public acquisition scheme, which is supported by a national body and enthusiasts who acquire "shares" in the venues.