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Sam Fender has donated the complete sum of his £25,000 award prize money to the trust for venues, which operates to preserve the UK's grassroots music venues.

The star was awarded the prize on 16 October as his third album the album was declared the outstanding release of the last 12 months.

The musician has opted to give the cash to the Music Venues Trust, in acknowledgment of the vital role small stages fulfilled in his initial steps.

"I wouldn't be doing my current career if it weren't for all the shows I performed around the North East, and elsewhere, when I was beginning," remarked Sam Fender. "These venues are legendary, but they are struggling."

From early 2023 onward, more than 150 of these spaces have permanently closed – roughly 16 percent of the whole industry in the UK.

In the last year, major artists like Pulp, the group Coldplay, Katy Perry and Ed Sheeran have all backed the trust in its attempts to keep the scene afloat, by including a modest fee to their admission fees, which supports smaller concert halls.

Sam Fender also took part, collecting more than £100,000 on his recent tour to help 38 grassroots venues across Britain.

The donation assisted venues that were dealing with potential shutdown due to issues arising from water damage, blazes and bereavements, as well as regulatory hurdles, conflicts and noise complaints.

Additional spaces obtained funding support in improving infrastructure and gear that directly benefitted performers and fans.

"The notion that revenue from concerts in big venues supports the smaller venues, where it begins for musicians like me, is just logical," Fender has stated.

Fender is far from the only musician to donate his honor funds to worthy causes.

When Pulp earned the award in 1996 for their record their work, frontman Cocker stated that the act would contribute their cash to the non-profit War Child.

In 2002, rapper and singer Ms Dynamite split her prize among several good causes, like the NSPCC and a Sickle Cell charity.

"Additionally, I contributed a thousand pounds to the center, to their gymnastics class, because I practiced gymnastics when I was growing up and they required new equipment," she explained to a publication.

Two years ago, Ezra Collective donated their winnings to the local youth club that supported their group, in addition to other grassroots music organisations.

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

"Winning was quite enough," remarked vocalist Small. "The cash was the bonus but we didn't require the extra, because we had the honor. So our success touched somebody else's life."

Recently, the trust announced it had rescued two grassroots venues in the South East, by bringing them into public stewardship.

The first in that area and the other in Bristol were purchased under the Own Our Venues initiative, which is supported by the arts council and supporters who acquire "ownership units" in the properties.