The musician contributes twenty-five thousand pounds award winnings to grassroots concert halls

The star has handed over the complete sum of his £25k Mercury Prize cash to the Music Venues Trust, which operates to protect the UK's small live music spots.

He was presented with the award on October 16 as his third album his work was chosen as the outstanding release of the past year.

The musician has chosen to give the cash to the trust, in recognition of the essential function local spots played in his beginning days.

"I personally couldn't be pursuing this success if it hadn't been for all the shows I did around the North East, and beyond, when I was beginning," stated the artist. "These spaces are renowned, but they are in difficulty."

Beginning in 2023, over 150 of these spaces have shut down – roughly 16 percent of the whole industry in the UK.

In the last year, major artists including Pulp, Coldplay, Katy Perry and Ed Sheeran have all aided the MVT in its initiatives to keep the scene afloat, by including a small levy to their ticket prices, which benefits local stages.

Sam Fender also joined in, raising more than £100,000 on his recent tour to help 38 small stages across Britain.

The money assisted venues that were dealing with potential shutdown due to issues arising from flooding, fire incidents and bereavements, as well as permit problems, legal disputes and neighbor objections.

Additional spaces obtained monetary aid in improving amenities and gear that helped performers and fans.

"The idea that funds from concerts in big venues helps the independent spots, where it kicks off for musicians like me, is just logical," Sam Fender has commented.

He is far from the only musician to donate his award funds to good deeds.

In the band received the trophy in the mid-90s for their album their work, frontman Cocker announced that the group would donate their winnings to the charity War Child.

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

"And I contributed a thousand pounds to my local community centre, to their gymnastics class, because I practiced gymnastics when I was a child and they needed new equipment," Ms Dynamite explained to a publication.

Previously, the band gave their winnings to the youth organization that developed their group, as well as other grassroots music organisations.

Additionally the 1994 recipients they donated their winnings to a multiple sclerosis charity after a close contact was found to have the disease.

"The victory was sufficient," remarked vocalist the singer. "The money was the bonus but we didn't require the bonus, because we had the main prize. So our victory touched the lives of others."

Recently, the trust revealed it had rescued several grassroots venues in south-east England, by transferring them to local control.

One venue in that area and the other in that location were acquired under the community ownership program, which is supported by the arts council and supporters who purchase "stakes" in the properties.