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Sam Fender has donated the full amount of his £25k honor cash to the Music Venues Trust, which works to preserve the United Kingdom's independent live music spots.

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

He has chosen to donate the funds to the Music Venues Trust, in recognition of the vital role local spots played in his beginning days.

"I personally would not have achieved what I am doing today if it wasn't for all the performances I performed around the region, and further afield, when I was just getting going," said the artist. "These venues are renowned, but they are in difficulty."

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

Over the past year, well-known musicians including Pulp, Coldplay, Katy Perry and Ed Sheeran have all backed the trust in its attempts to keep the scene afloat, by applying a minor surcharge to their ticket costs, which goes to help independent venues.

Sam Fender also joined in, raising over £100k on his live tour to support 38 small stages across the UK.

The donation supported locations that were confronting imminent closure due to issues stemming from flooding, fires and personal losses, as well as permit problems, conflicts and sound issues.

Other venues received funding support in upgrading facilities and gear that directly benefitted musicians and audiences.

"The idea that money from shows in major spaces helps the local stages, where it kicks off for performers like me, is just sensible," Sam Fender has commented.

Fender is among several artists to give his honor winnings to worthy causes.

In they received the award in 1996 for their record the album, lead singer Cocker announced that the act would donate their winnings to the non-profit War Child.

That year, rapper and singer she split her prize between several organizations, such as the NSPCC and a Sickle Cell organization.

"And I gave a thousand pounds to my local community centre, to their gymnastics program, because I trained in gymnastics when I was growing up and they needed better apparatus," she shared with a publication.

Previously, they gave their funds to the youth organization that developed their band, in addition to other independent music bodies.

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

"Winning was ample," remarked singer the singer. "The cash was the bonus but we didn't need the bonus, because we had the main prize. So our victory impacted somebody else's life."

In the past week, the trust shared it had rescued several grassroots venues in south-east England, by bringing them into public stewardship.

One venue in that area and the second in the city were bought under the community ownership program, which is funded by a national body and supporters who purchase "shares" in the properties.