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Sam Fender has given the complete sum of his twenty-five thousand pound award winnings to the MVT, which works to preserve the United Kingdom's independent concert spaces.

Fender was given the prize on 16 October as his new release People Watching was chosen as the outstanding release of the previous year.

The musician has chosen to hand the money over to the MVT, in appreciation of the vital role grassroots venues fulfilled in his beginning days.

"As an artist wouldn't be doing this success if it hadn't been for all the gigs I did around the North East, and beyond, when I was just getting going," stated the artist. "These spaces are legendary, but they are facing challenges."

From early 2023 onward, at least 150 of these spaces have ceased operations – roughly 16 percent of the total UK scene.

Recently, major artists such as Pulp, Coldplay, the singer Katy Perry and Ed Sheeran have all backed the trust in its efforts to support the industry, by adding a minor surcharge to their ticket prices, which benefits local stages.

He also joined in, generating in excess of £100,000 on his 2024 arena tour to support thirty-eight small stages across the UK.

The money helped spaces that were confronting imminent closure due to issues stemming from flooding, blazes and bereavements, as well as permit problems, court cases and neighbor objections.

Other venues were granted funding support in modernizing infrastructure and technical equipment that positively impacted musicians and audiences.

"The concept that revenue from concerts in big venues supports the smaller venues, where it all starts for performers like me, is just common sense," Sam Fender has stated.

He is not the first artist to contribute his honor prize money to worthy causes.

In Pulp earned the award in 1996 for their record their work, frontman Jarvis Cocker announced that the act would donate their prize money to the organization the charity.

That year, rapper and singer she split her bounty between a few charities, such as the NSPCC and a Sickle Cell organization.

"I also gave a grand to Highgate Newtown, to their gymnastics class, because I practiced gymnastics when I was younger and they needed better apparatus," Ms Dynamite shared with a publication.

In recent years, Ezra Collective donated their funds to the community center that supported their group, alongside other grassroots music organisations.

Additionally the 1994 recipients M People contributed their prize to a MS organization after a acquaintance was found to have the condition.

"Receiving the award was sufficient," remarked singer Small. "The prize was the bonus but we could do without the extra, because we had the main prize. So our victory impacted another person's life."

In the past week, the MVT announced it had protected a couple of grassroots venues in the South East, by placing them under community ownership.

The first in Southampton and the other in the city were purchased under the public acquisition program, which is funded by a national body and music fans who purchase "stakes" in the properties.