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Sam Fender has handed over the full amount of his £25,000 award prize money to the MVT, which works to preserve the United Kingdom's small live music spots.

Fender was presented with the award on 16 October as his latest record the album was chosen as the top album of the last 12 months.

Fender has chosen to hand the money over to the MVT, in recognition of the essential function grassroots venues fulfilled in his beginning days.

"As an artist would not have achieved this success if it hadn't been for all the shows I performed around the area, and beyond, when I was just getting going," stated Fender. "These locations are iconic, but they are struggling."

From early 2023 onward, more than 150 of these spaces have shut down – about one-sixth of the total UK scene.

Recently, top acts such as Pulp, the group Coldplay, Katy Perry and Ed Sheeran have all backed the MVT in its efforts to help venues survive, by including a modest fee to their admission fees, which goes to help local stages.

Fender also took part, collecting in excess of £100,000 on his recent tour to help 38 small stages across the UK.

The donation supported spaces that were facing imminent closure due to challenges arising from floods, fire incidents and personal losses, as well as regulatory hurdles, conflicts and noise complaints.

Other venues obtained monetary aid in upgrading infrastructure and sound and lighting systems that positively impacted artists and concertgoers.

"The notion that funds from shows in big venues supports the smaller venues, where it all starts for performers like me, is just logical," the star has stated.

The musician is not the first artist to donate his honor winnings to worthy causes.

Back when they won the trophy in 1996 for their release Different Class, lead singer Cocker announced that the act would donate their cash to the charity the charity.

In 2002, musician she split her bounty across a few charities, like the NSPCC and a Sickle Cell organization.

"Additionally, I donated a £1,000 to the center, to their classes, because I did gymnastics when I was growing up and they needed better apparatus," she explained to a publication.

In recent years, they gave their winnings to the local youth club that supported their band, alongside other independent music bodies.

Additionally 1994 winners M People contributed their winnings to a multiple sclerosis charity after a acquaintance was found to have the condition.

"The victory was sufficient," said singer the singer. "The cash was the cherry on top but we didn't need the cherry, because we had the main prize. So our winning touched the lives of others."

Recently, the MVT shared it had saved several small stages in south-east England, by bringing them into community ownership.

The first in the city and The Croft in Bristol were acquired under the public acquisition initiative, which is backed by Arts Council England and supporters who acquire "ownership units" in the buildings.