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Sam Fender has donated the complete sum of his £25k honor winnings to the Music Venues Trust, which works to preserve the UK's grassroots live music spots.

He was given the prize on 16 October as his latest record People Watching was named the top album of the previous year.

He has decided to hand the money over to the Music Venues Trust, in appreciation of the essential function small stages fulfilled in his initial steps.

"I personally would not have achieved what I am doing today if it weren't for all the shows I did around the area, and further afield, when I was just getting going," remarked the artist. "These locations are renowned, but they are facing challenges."

From early 2023 onward, more than 150 of these venues have permanently closed – roughly 16 percent of the entire UK sector.

Over the past year, top acts including Pulp, the group Coldplay, Katy Perry and Ed Sheeran have all backed the trust in its initiatives to keep the scene afloat, by applying a small levy to their admission fees, which supports local stages.

Sam Fender also joined in, generating over £100k on his recent tour to support thirty-eight small stages across the UK.

These funds helped spaces that were facing possible closure due to difficulties stemming from flooding, fire incidents and family tragedies, as well as permit problems, court cases and sound issues.

Other venues obtained funding support in improving infrastructure and technical equipment that positively impacted performers and audiences.

"The concept that money from performances in big venues supports the smaller venues, where it kicks off for performers like me, is just logical," Fender has commented.

Fender is far from the only musician to contribute his honor prize money to good deeds.

In the band won the prize in 1996 for their record the album, frontman Jarvis Cocker stated that the group would donate their cash to the charity War Child.

In 2002, rapper and singer the artist divided her bounty among multiple good causes, like the NSPCC and a Sickle Cell charity.

"And I contributed a grand to my local community centre, to their gymnastics class, because I practiced gymnastics when I was a child and they required better apparatus," the artist told a publication.

Previously, Ezra Collective gave their prize money to the local youth club that nurtured their group, in addition to other local music groups.

Additionally 1994 winners M People gave their prize to a MS organization after a acquaintance was identified with the illness.

"Receiving the award was ample," stated artist Heather Small. "The cash was the cherry on top but we didn't need the extra, because we had the cake. So our winning affected somebody else's life."

In the past week, the trust revealed it had saved two local spots in the South East, by placing them under local control.

The Joiners in Southampton and the second in that location were bought under the community ownership program, which is funded by the arts council and supporters who buy "shares" in the venues.