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The star has donated the entirety of his twenty-five thousand pound award cash to the trust for venues, which operates to save the United Kingdom's independent music venues.

Fender was given the cheque on mid-October as his latest record People Watching was chosen as the top album of the previous year.

The musician has decided to hand the money over to the MVT, in acknowledgment of the crucial part local spots fulfilled in his early career.

"I would not have achieved what I am doing today if it wasn't for all the gigs I played around the area, and elsewhere, when I was just getting going," stated Sam Fender. "These spaces are legendary, but they are facing challenges."

From early 2023 onward, more than 150 of these locations have ceased operations – approximately one-sixth of the entire UK sector.

Recently, well-known musicians including Pulp, Coldplay, Katy Perry and Ed Sheeran have all supported the trust in its efforts to support the industry, by applying a minor surcharge to their ticket prices, which supports local stages.

Sam Fender also joined in, generating over £100k on his live tour to help numerous grassroots venues across Britain.

The donation assisted venues that were facing potential shutdown due to difficulties caused by floods, fires and bereavements, as well as regulatory hurdles, conflicts and noise complaints.

Other venues were granted financial assistance in improving infrastructure and gear that positively impacted musicians and concertgoers.

"The notion that revenue from performances in big venues helps the local stages, where it kicks off for artists like me, is just sensible," Sam Fender has commented.

The musician is far from the only musician to donate his Mercury Prize funds to good deeds.

In they earned the award in the mid-90s for their album their work, frontman the singer announced that the group would donate their prize money to the non-profit War Child.

During 2002, rapper and singer Ms Dynamite split her bounty among several charities, including the NSPCC and a charity for Sickle Cell.

"And I gave a grand to Highgate Newtown, to their classes, because I practiced gymnastics when I was a child and they required updated gear," she shared with a publication.

In recent years, they contributed their winnings to the community center that developed their group, alongside other grassroots music organisations.

Also winners that year M People contributed their winnings to a charity for MS after a friend was diagnosed the condition.

"The victory was ample," said singer Small. "The prize was the bonus but we didn't need the extra, because we had the main prize. So our winning impacted the lives of others."

In the past week, the trust announced it had saved two small stages in that region, by transferring them to public stewardship.

The first in the city and the second in the city were acquired under the community ownership initiative, which is funded by a national body and supporters who buy "stakes" in the buildings.