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Sam Fender has given the full amount of his twenty-five thousand pound award cash to the MVT, which functions to preserve the Britain's small live music spots.

He was presented with the award on 16 October as his new release the album was chosen as the top album of the last 12 months.

Fender has opted to donate the funds to the Music Venues Trust, in acknowledgment of the vital role grassroots venues played in his early career.

"I personally couldn't be pursuing my current career if it hadn't been for all the performances I did around the region, and beyond, when I was starting out," stated Sam Fender. "These locations are renowned, but they are struggling."

Since the start of 2023, more than 150 of these locations have permanently closed – about one-sixth of the whole industry in the UK.

In the last year, top acts like Pulp, the group Coldplay, the singer Katy Perry and Sheeran have all supported the MVT in its initiatives to support the industry, by including a minor surcharge to their ticket costs, which goes to help local stages.

Fender also participated, collecting more than £100,000 on his live tour to assist numerous local spots across England, Scotland, and Wales.

The money helped venues that were dealing with potential shutdown due to issues caused by flooding, fire incidents and family tragedies, as well as licensing issues, legal disputes and sound issues.

Other venues were granted funding support in upgrading facilities and sound and lighting systems that positively impacted musicians and concertgoers.

"The idea that money from concerts in major spaces supports the independent spots, where it begins for artists like me, is just sensible," Fender has commented.

He is far from the only musician to donate his Mercury Prize prize money to worthy causes.

Back when they won the prize in 1996 for their release their work, vocalist Jarvis Cocker stated that the act would donate their cash to the charity the charity.

During 2002, rapper and singer she split her bounty among a few good causes, like the NSPCC and a Sickle Cell organization.

"I also donated a grand to Highgate Newtown, to their gymnastics program, because I trained in gymnastics when I was growing up and they lacked new equipment," Ms Dynamite shared with a publication.

Previously, the band contributed their winnings to the local youth club that developed their group, in addition to other independent music bodies.

Also 1994 winners M People donated their award to a multiple sclerosis charity after a close contact was found to have the condition.

"The victory was quite enough," remarked artist Heather Small. "The money was the extra but we could do without the extra, because we had the cake. So our success touched another person's life."

In the past week, the trust announced it had saved two small stages in that region, by transferring them to local control.

One venue in that area and the other in the city were bought under the public acquisition initiative, which is funded by the arts council and music fans who acquire "stakes" in the venues.