Sam Fender has given the entirety of his twenty-five thousand pound honor winnings to the Music Venues Trust, which works to protect the UK's small concert spaces.
The star was awarded the cheque on October 16 as his third album the album was declared the outstanding release of the previous year.
He has decided to donate the funds to the trust, in appreciation of the vital role small stages fulfilled in his initial steps.
"I personally wouldn't be doing this success if it weren't for all the shows I performed around the region, and elsewhere, when I was starting out," said Sam Fender. "These venues are iconic, but they are in difficulty."
Beginning in 2023, over 150 of these venues have ceased operations – approximately 16 percent of the whole industry in the UK.
Recently, major artists including Pulp, the group Coldplay, Katy Perry and Ed Sheeran have all supported the trust in its initiatives to help venues survive, by adding a minor surcharge to their admission fees, which benefits independent venues.
Sam Fender also took part, generating more than £100,000 on his 2024 arena tour to help thirty-eight small stages across Britain.
The donation helped spaces that were facing potential shutdown due to difficulties stemming from water damage, fire incidents and family tragedies, as well as licensing issues, conflicts and noise complaints.
Other venues were granted monetary aid in upgrading facilities and technical equipment that positively impacted musicians and audiences.
"The notion that revenue from shows in large arenas helps the local stages, where it begins for artists like me, is just logical," Fender has said.
He is among several artists to donate his award funds to worthy causes.
Back when they won the award in the year 1996 for their release their work, lead singer Cocker declared that the band would give their cash to the organization the charity.
That year, musician she divided her award among multiple good causes, including the NSPCC and a Sickle Cell organization.
"I also donated a thousand pounds to Highgate Newtown, to their classes, because I trained in gymnastics when I was growing up and they required new equipment," the artist explained to outlets.
Two years ago, the band gave their winnings to the youth organization that developed their group, in addition to other grassroots music organisations.
And winners that year M People contributed their winnings to a MS organization after a friend was found to have the illness.
"Receiving the award was sufficient," said singer the singer. "The cash was the bonus but we didn't need the extra, because we had the honor. So our victory touched another person's life."
Recently, the Music Venues Trust revealed it had rescued several local spots in that region, by bringing them into community ownership.
One venue in the city and the other in that location were bought under the community ownership program, which is funded by a national body and music fans who acquire "shares" in the buildings.
