Sam Fender has given the entirety of his £25k award prize money to the Music Venues Trust, which works to preserve the United Kingdom's small live music spots.
Fender was awarded the prize on October 16 as his new release People Watching was chosen as the top album of the last 12 months.
The musician has chosen to donate the funds to the trust, in appreciation of the crucial part local spots fulfilled in his beginning days.
"As an artist couldn't be pursuing this success if it wasn't for all the gigs I performed around the region, and beyond, when I was starting out," stated Fender. "These venues are iconic, but they are struggling."
Beginning in 2023, at least 150 of these locations have permanently closed – roughly 16 percent of the whole industry in the UK.
In the last year, major artists like Pulp, Coldplay, Katy Perry and Ed Sheeran have all aided the Music Venues Trust in its efforts to keep the scene afloat, by adding a modest fee to their ticket prices, which benefits independent venues.
Fender also joined in, generating over £100k on his 2024 arena tour to support thirty-eight grassroots venues across the UK.
The money assisted venues that were confronting possible closure due to challenges stemming from floods, fires and bereavements, as well as regulatory hurdles, court cases and neighbor objections.
Additional spaces were granted monetary aid in improving amenities and sound and lighting systems that helped performers and concertgoers.
"The notion that money from concerts in major spaces supports the smaller venues, where it kicks off for artists like me, is just common sense," the star has stated.
Fender is not the first artist to donate his honor funds to good deeds.
Back when they received the prize in the year 1996 for their album their work, frontman Jarvis Cocker declared that the band would give their winnings to the non-profit the charity.
That year, rapper and singer the artist split her bounty between multiple organizations, such as the NSPCC and a Sickle Cell organization.
"And I donated a thousand pounds to my local community centre, to their classes, because I did gymnastics when I was growing up and they required new equipment," the artist explained to outlets.
Previously, they gave their prize money to the community center that supported their act, as well as other local music groups.
And 1994 winners M People contributed their award to a charity for MS after a friend was found to have the disease.
"Winning was sufficient," said singer Heather Small. "The money was the cherry on top but we didn't require the cherry, because we had the main prize. So our victory impacted the lives of others."
Last week, the trust shared it had rescued a couple of small stages in that region, by transferring them to community ownership.
The first in that area and the second in the city were purchased under the public acquisition program, which is supported by a national body and supporters who buy "shares" in the venues.
