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Sam Fender has donated the entirety of his £25k award cash to the trust for venues, which functions to protect the Britain's grassroots music venues.

Fender was given the prize on October 16 as his latest record People Watching was declared the best record of the previous year.

The musician has chosen to give the cash to the Music Venues Trust, in recognition of the vital role local spots played in his initial steps.

"I couldn't be pursuing this success if it weren't for all the gigs I performed around the region, and further afield, when I was beginning," said Sam Fender. "These venues are iconic, but they are in difficulty."

Since the start of 2023, more than 150 of these venues have shut down – approximately one-sixth of the total UK scene.

Recently, well-known musicians including Pulp, Coldplay, Katy Perry and Sheeran have all supported the trust in its attempts to support the industry, by applying a modest fee to their admission fees, which benefits independent venues.

Fender also joined in, generating more than £100,000 on his 2024 arena tour to help 38 grassroots venues across England, Scotland, and Wales.

The money supported venues that were dealing with imminent closure due to difficulties caused by flooding, blazes and family tragedies, as well as licensing issues, legal disputes and noise complaints.

Some locations obtained funding support in upgrading amenities and technical equipment that positively impacted musicians and concertgoers.

"The notion that money from shows in big venues helps the independent spots, where it kicks off for performers like me, is just sensible," Fender has said.

The musician is not the first artist to donate his honor winnings to worthy causes.

In they received the prize in 1996 for their record the album, lead singer the singer declared that the act would give their cash to the non-profit the charity.

That year, artist Ms Dynamite divided her bounty between several charities, such as the NSPCC and a Sickle Cell organization.

"And I donated a grand to my local community centre, to their gymnastics class, because I practiced gymnastics when I was younger and they needed updated gear," she explained to outlets.

Two years ago, Ezra Collective donated their prize money to the youth organization that supported their act, as well as other grassroots music organisations.

Additionally 1994 winners they contributed their award to a multiple sclerosis charity after a friend was diagnosed the disease.

"Winning was sufficient," said singer Small. "The prize was the cherry on top but we could do without the cherry, because we had the cake. So our winning touched the lives of others."

Last week, the Music Venues Trust shared it had saved two small stages in that region, by placing them under community ownership.

The Joiners in the city and The Croft in the city were bought under the Own Our Venues program, which is funded by a national body and supporters who acquire "shares" in the properties.