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The star has handed over the complete sum of his £25k Mercury Prize cash to the MVT, which works to protect the Britain's independent concert spaces.

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

Fender has chosen to give the cash to the trust, in appreciation of the vital role local spots played in his beginning days.

"I personally couldn't be pursuing my current career if it hadn't been for all the shows I played around the area, and further afield, when I was starting out," said Sam Fender. "These venues are legendary, but they are facing challenges."

Beginning in 2023, over 150 of these locations have permanently closed – about 16% of the entire UK sector.

In the last year, top acts including Pulp, the group Coldplay, Katy Perry and Ed Sheeran have all backed the Music Venues Trust in its efforts to keep the scene afloat, by including a small levy to their admission fees, which goes to help local stages.

Sam Fender also participated, raising more than £100,000 on his 2024 arena tour to assist numerous small stages across Britain.

The donation helped spaces that were facing potential shutdown due to difficulties arising from flooding, fires and personal losses, as well as permit problems, conflicts and sound issues.

Additional spaces obtained monetary aid in upgrading facilities and gear that positively impacted musicians and audiences.

"The concept that revenue from performances in major spaces helps the smaller venues, where it all starts for musicians like me, is just logical," Fender has said.

He is far from the only musician to donate his award prize money to charitable organizations.

In the band earned the trophy in 1996 for their record Different Class, frontman the singer declared that the band would give their prize money to the organization War Child.

That year, musician Ms Dynamite shared her prize between multiple charities, including the NSPCC and a Sickle Cell organization.

"Additionally, I donated a £1,000 to the center, to their classes, because I trained in gymnastics when I was growing up and they lacked better apparatus," she explained to a publication.

Previously, Ezra Collective donated their prize money to the local youth club that supported their group, alongside other grassroots music organisations.

Additionally winners that year the group donated their prize to a MS organization after a friend was found to have the condition.

"The victory was ample," said artist Small. "The cash was the cherry on top but we could do without the bonus, because we had the honor. So our success affected another person's life."

Last week, the MVT shared it had rescued a couple of small stages in the South East, by placing them under local control.

The first in that area and the second in the city were purchased under the Own Our Venues initiative, which is supported by the arts council and supporters who acquire "shares" in the buildings.