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The artist has handed over the entirety of his £25k Mercury Prize prize money to the trust for venues, which operates to save the United Kingdom's independent live music spots.

The star was presented with the award on 16 October as his latest record People Watching was named the outstanding release of the past year.

The musician has opted to give the cash to the MVT, in recognition of the vital role small stages played in his beginning days.

"I personally wouldn't be doing my current career if it weren't for all the shows I performed around the North East, and elsewhere, when I was beginning," remarked Sam Fender. "These venues are renowned, but they are struggling."

Since the start of 2023, over 150 of these locations have shut down – approximately one-sixth of the entire UK sector.

Over the past year, well-known musicians including Pulp, Coldplay, the singer Katy Perry and Sheeran have all aided the trust in its initiatives to help venues survive, by adding a minor surcharge to their admission fees, which supports smaller concert halls.

He also took part, collecting more than £100,000 on his 2024 arena tour to assist numerous local spots across the UK.

These funds helped venues that were confronting potential shutdown due to challenges arising from water damage, blazes and family tragedies, as well as regulatory hurdles, conflicts and sound issues.

Some locations were granted financial assistance in improving facilities and sound and lighting systems that helped musicians and fans.

"The idea that funds from shows in major spaces backs the local stages, where it begins for performers like me, is just sensible," Sam Fender has stated.

He is far from the only musician to donate his Mercury Prize prize money to worthy causes.

Back when they received the prize in 1996 for their release Different Class, frontman Cocker announced that the group would give their prize money to the charity the charity.

During 2002, artist the artist split her award across multiple charities, such as the NSPCC and a Sickle Cell organization.

"I also donated 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," Ms Dynamite shared with a publication.

In recent years, Ezra Collective gave their prize money to the local youth club that nurtured their group, as well as other grassroots music organisations.

Additionally 1994 winners M People gave their award to a charity for MS after a friend was identified with the illness.

"The victory was ample," stated singer Small. "The prize was the bonus but we could do without the bonus, because we had the honor. So our winning impacted another person's life."

Recently, the MVT shared it had rescued a couple of local spots in that region, by transferring them to community ownership.

The Joiners in that area and The Croft in that location were acquired under the public acquisition initiative, which is supported by Arts Council England and enthusiasts who purchase "ownership units" in the venues.