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Sam Fender has given the full amount of his £25k award winnings to the Music Venues Trust, which functions to save the United Kingdom's independent live music spots.

Fender was given the prize on October 16 as his third album his work was declared the outstanding release of the past year.

The musician has chosen to donate the funds to the MVT, in appreciation of the crucial part local spots played in his beginning days.

"I personally couldn't be pursuing what I am doing today if it weren't for all the gigs I performed around the region, and elsewhere, when I was starting out," stated Sam Fender. "These locations are legendary, but they are facing challenges."

Beginning in 2023, more than 150 of these spaces have permanently closed – about 16% of the total UK scene.

Over the past year, top acts including Pulp, Coldplay, Katy Perry and Sheeran have all supported the MVT in its efforts to help venues survive, by including a modest fee to their ticket costs, which goes to help smaller concert halls.

Fender also took part, collecting in excess of £100,000 on his live tour to assist numerous small stages across England, Scotland, and Wales.

The money helped venues that were facing potential shutdown due to challenges caused by flooding, fires and personal losses, as well as regulatory hurdles, court cases and neighbor objections.

Some locations obtained financial assistance in improving amenities and technical equipment that directly benefitted performers and audiences.

"The notion that funds from concerts in large arenas backs the smaller venues, where it begins for performers like me, is just logical," Sam Fender has said.

He is among several artists to donate his Mercury Prize funds to charitable organizations.

Back when the band received the trophy in 1996 for their release the album, vocalist Jarvis Cocker declared that the group would give their prize money to the organization War Child.

During 2002, musician Ms Dynamite split her bounty between several charities, such as the NSPCC and a Sickle Cell organization.

"I also contributed a grand to the center, to their gymnastics class, because I practiced gymnastics when I was a child and they lacked updated gear," she told a publication.

Previously, they donated their funds to the local youth club that supported their band, as well as other independent music bodies.

And the 1994 recipients M People contributed their prize to a charity for MS after a close contact was identified with the condition.

"Winning was quite enough," said vocalist the singer. "The money was the bonus but we didn't need the bonus, because we had the cake. So our winning touched another person's life."

In the past week, the trust announced it had rescued two local spots in that region, by placing them under community ownership.

One venue in Southampton and the other in Bristol were bought under the public acquisition scheme, which is backed by the arts council and enthusiasts who acquire "ownership units" in the buildings.