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Sam Fender has given the entirety of his £25k award cash to the trust for venues, which works to save the UK's independent live music spots.

The star was awarded the prize on October 16 as his third album People Watching was named the outstanding release of the past year.

Fender has opted to hand the money over to the Music Venues Trust, in recognition of the essential function local spots had in his early career.

"I personally couldn't be pursuing what I am doing today if it wasn't for all the performances I did around the North East, and beyond, when I was beginning," remarked Fender. "These venues are renowned, but they are struggling."

From early 2023 onward, over 150 of these locations have shut down – roughly 16% of the entire UK sector.

Recently, major artists like the band Pulp, Coldplay, the singer Katy Perry and Ed Sheeran have all aided the MVT in its attempts to help venues survive, by including a modest fee to their admission fees, which supports local stages.

He also took part, generating more than £100,000 on his recent tour to assist 38 grassroots venues across Britain.

These funds helped locations that were dealing with imminent closure due to challenges stemming from water damage, fire incidents and personal losses, as well as regulatory hurdles, legal disputes and noise complaints.

Additional spaces received funding support in improving amenities and gear that directly benefitted performers and audiences.

"The notion that money from shows in big venues helps the local stages, where it all starts for performers like me, is just sensible," Sam Fender has commented.

The musician is among several artists to give his award winnings to charitable organizations.

In Pulp received the trophy in 1996 for their album their work, vocalist Cocker stated that the band would contribute their prize money to the charity War Child.

That year, musician the artist shared her award between multiple good causes, like the NSPCC and a Sickle Cell organization.

"And I contributed a thousand pounds to Highgate Newtown, to their classes, because I did gymnastics when I was younger and they required better apparatus," the artist explained to the media.

Previously, the band gave their winnings to the community center that supported their act, in addition to other independent music bodies.

Additionally winners that year the group gave their prize to a multiple sclerosis charity after a close contact was found to have the disease.

"Receiving the award was sufficient," remarked artist Heather Small. "The cash was the extra but we could do without the cherry, because we had the main prize. So our winning impacted somebody else's life."

Last week, the Music Venues Trust announced it had rescued several grassroots venues in south-east England, by bringing them into community ownership.

The first in that area and the second in Bristol were acquired under the public acquisition initiative, which is funded by a national body and enthusiasts who buy "ownership units" in the buildings.