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The star has donated the full amount of his £25k Mercury Prize winnings to the Music Venues Trust, which works to protect the United Kingdom's small live music spots.

The star was presented with the cheque on October 16 as his latest record the album was declared the best record of the past year.

The musician has decided to donate the funds to the Music Venues Trust, in appreciation of the essential function local spots fulfilled in his beginning days.

"As an artist couldn't be pursuing this success if it weren't for all the performances I performed around the area, and further afield, when I was starting out," remarked Sam Fender. "These venues are iconic, but they are in difficulty."

From early 2023 onward, over 150 of these venues have permanently closed – approximately one-sixth of the total UK scene.

In the last year, major artists like the band Pulp, the group Coldplay, the singer Katy Perry and Ed Sheeran have all aided the MVT in its efforts to keep the scene afloat, by applying a modest fee to their ticket costs, which goes to help independent venues.

Sam Fender also participated, raising more than £100,000 on his recent tour to support 38 local spots across the UK.

The donation helped venues that were dealing with potential shutdown due to issues caused by floods, fire incidents and family tragedies, as well as permit problems, legal disputes and neighbor objections.

Additional spaces were granted funding support in improving infrastructure and gear that directly benefitted artists and concertgoers.

"The idea that funds from performances in big venues helps the independent spots, where it kicks off for artists like me, is just logical," Fender has stated.

Fender is not the first artist to contribute his Mercury Prize winnings to charitable organizations.

In Pulp won the trophy in the year 1996 for their release the album, vocalist Jarvis Cocker stated that the group would give their cash to the non-profit War Child.

In 2002, rapper and singer Ms Dynamite divided her award between multiple good causes, like the NSPCC and a Sickle Cell organization.

"And I gave a grand to my local community centre, to their gymnastics class, because I practiced gymnastics when I was younger and they required new equipment," Ms Dynamite explained to a publication.

In recent years, they donated their winnings to the community center that developed their band, as well as other independent music bodies.

Also the 1994 recipients they gave their award to a MS organization after a friend was identified with the condition.

"Winning was quite enough," remarked artist the singer. "The prize was the extra but we didn't need the cherry, because we had the cake. So our success impacted another person's life."

In the past week, the Music Venues Trust announced it had rescued several grassroots venues in that region, by transferring them to public stewardship.

The Joiners in that area and the other in that location were bought under the community ownership initiative, which is backed by a national body and supporters who buy "stakes" in the venues.