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Sam Fender has given the complete sum of his £25k award cash to the MVT, which operates to preserve the UK's small concert spaces.

The star was given the award on 16 October as his new release the album was chosen as the top album of the last 12 months.

The musician has chosen to give the cash to the MVT, in appreciation of the vital role grassroots venues had in his early career.

"I would not have achieved what I am doing today if it hadn't been for all the shows I performed around the North East, and beyond, when I was just getting going," stated Sam Fender. "These locations are iconic, but they are in difficulty."

From early 2023 onward, over 150 of these venues have shut down – roughly one-sixth of the whole industry in the UK.

In the last year, top acts such as Pulp, Coldplay, Katy Perry and Sheeran have all supported the Music Venues Trust in its attempts to support the industry, by including a small levy to their admission fees, which supports smaller concert halls.

He also participated, raising over £100k on his recent tour to assist numerous local spots across the UK.

These funds helped venues that were dealing with possible closure due to challenges stemming from water damage, blazes and family tragedies, as well as regulatory hurdles, legal disputes and neighbor objections.

Some locations were granted funding support in upgrading infrastructure and technical equipment that positively impacted musicians and fans.

"The idea that money from concerts in large arenas supports the independent spots, where it begins for artists like me, is just common sense," Sam Fender has said.

The musician is among several artists to donate his Mercury Prize winnings to charitable organizations.

When Pulp earned the prize in 1996 for their record the album, vocalist Jarvis Cocker stated that the act would donate their cash to the organization War Child.

That year, musician Ms Dynamite split her bounty across multiple charities, such as the NSPCC and a Sickle Cell charity.

"I also gave a grand to the center, to their gymnastics program, because I did gymnastics when I was younger and they needed new equipment," she explained to the media.

Two years ago, Ezra Collective donated their prize money to the youth organization that supported their act, in addition to other independent music bodies.

And the 1994 recipients M People contributed their winnings to a MS organization after a close contact was found to have the illness.

"Receiving the award was sufficient," stated singer Small. "The cash was the cherry on top but we didn't require the extra, because we had the honor. So our success affected another person's life."

Recently, the trust shared it had saved two grassroots venues in that region, by transferring them to local control.

One venue in Southampton and The Croft in Bristol were purchased under the public acquisition initiative, which is backed by a national body and enthusiasts who buy "stakes" in the properties.