Sam Fender has donated the entirety of his twenty-five thousand pound honor prize money to the Music Venues Trust, which operates to save the United Kingdom's small music venues.
Fender was awarded the cheque on mid-October as his latest record People Watching was declared the outstanding release of the previous year.
Fender has decided to donate the funds to the Music Venues Trust, in appreciation of the vital role small stages had in his initial steps.
"I personally couldn't be pursuing my current career if it wasn't for all the gigs I performed around the region, and elsewhere, when I was starting out," remarked Sam Fender. "These spaces are iconic, but they are in difficulty."
Since the start of 2023, more than 150 of these venues have ceased operations – roughly 16 percent of the whole industry in the UK.
In the last year, major artists like the band Pulp, the group Coldplay, the singer Katy Perry and Ed Sheeran have all supported the trust in its efforts to keep the scene afloat, by adding a minor surcharge to their ticket prices, which benefits smaller concert halls.
Sam Fender also took part, generating more than £100,000 on his 2024 arena tour to help thirty-eight local spots across England, Scotland, and Wales.
The money helped spaces that were dealing with potential shutdown due to challenges stemming from water damage, fires and family tragedies, as well as permit problems, legal disputes and neighbor objections.
Additional spaces received financial assistance in improving facilities and sound and lighting systems that positively impacted musicians and fans.
"The concept that money from concerts in major spaces helps the smaller venues, where it kicks off for artists like me, is just sensible," the star has stated.
The musician is not the first artist to give his honor funds to worthy causes.
Back when they earned the prize in the mid-90s for their record their work, lead singer Cocker declared that the band would give their cash to the organization the charity.
That year, artist Ms Dynamite divided her bounty among multiple charities, including the NSPCC and a Sickle Cell charity.
"And I contributed a grand to the center, to their classes, because I trained in gymnastics when I was younger and they required new equipment," the artist told the media.
In recent years, they gave their funds to the youth organization that developed their act, in addition to other independent music bodies.
And winners that year M People donated their winnings to a multiple sclerosis charity after a close contact was diagnosed the disease.
"The victory was sufficient," said artist Heather Small. "The money was the extra but we could do without the bonus, because we had the main prize. So our winning affected somebody else's life."
Last week, the trust revealed it had protected several grassroots venues in south-east England, by transferring them to local control.
The Joiners in the city and the second in Bristol were bought under the Own Our Venues program, which is backed by a national body and music fans who acquire "shares" in the venues.
