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The star has given the entirety of his £25,000 honor winnings to the MVT, which works to protect the UK's independent concert spaces.

The star was presented with the cheque on 16 October as his third album People Watching was named the best record of the past year.

He has opted to hand the money over to the trust, in acknowledgment of the essential function small stages fulfilled in his early career.

"I couldn't be pursuing my current career if it wasn't for all the gigs I played around the North East, and elsewhere, when I was beginning," stated Fender. "These spaces are renowned, but they are facing challenges."

Since the start of 2023, more than 150 of these locations have shut down – roughly one-sixth of the entire UK sector.

Over the past year, major artists including Pulp, Coldplay, the singer Katy Perry and Sheeran have all backed the Music Venues Trust in its efforts to keep the scene afloat, by adding a modest fee to their admission fees, which supports smaller concert halls.

Sam Fender also participated, raising over £100k on his 2024 arena tour to assist thirty-eight local spots across Britain.

These funds assisted locations that were dealing with potential shutdown due to challenges stemming from water damage, fire incidents and family tragedies, as well as regulatory hurdles, conflicts and noise complaints.

Additional spaces were granted financial assistance in improving facilities and gear that positively impacted musicians and audiences.

"The notion that revenue from concerts in large arenas supports the local stages, where it begins for musicians like me, is just sensible," Sam Fender has said.

The musician is among several artists to give his honor prize money to worthy causes.

In the band earned the trophy in 1996 for their album Different Class, frontman the singer announced that the act would give their winnings to the organization the charity.

In 2002, musician she divided her prize between multiple good causes, such as the NSPCC and a Sickle Cell charity.

"And I donated a £1,000 to Highgate Newtown, to their gymnastics program, because I practiced gymnastics when I was a child and they required updated gear," Ms Dynamite shared with the media.

In recent years, Ezra Collective gave their winnings to the community center that supported their group, as well as other independent music bodies.

And 1994 winners they contributed their prize to a multiple sclerosis charity after a close contact was diagnosed the disease.

"Winning was quite enough," stated vocalist Small. "The prize was the bonus but we didn't need the cherry, because we had the cake. So our success touched somebody else's life."

Recently, the MVT revealed it had protected a couple of small stages in that region, by placing them under public stewardship.

The Joiners in Southampton and The Croft in that location were purchased under the public acquisition initiative, which is supported by a national body and supporters who buy "ownership units" in the venues.