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The artist has given the full amount of his £25k award cash to the MVT, which works to protect the United Kingdom's small music venues.

He was given the award on October 16 as his latest record his work was named the top album of the last 12 months.

The musician has opted to donate the funds to the trust, in appreciation of the crucial part grassroots venues had in his initial steps.

"As an artist wouldn't be doing what I am doing today if it weren't for all the gigs I played around the North East, and further afield, when I was starting out," stated Fender. "These venues are iconic, but they are facing challenges."

Beginning in 2023, over 150 of these spaces have permanently closed – about 16 percent of the whole industry in the UK.

Over the past year, top acts such as the band Pulp, Coldplay, Katy Perry and Sheeran have all backed the Music Venues Trust in its initiatives to support the industry, by applying a modest fee to their admission fees, which benefits independent venues.

Sam Fender also joined in, collecting in excess of £100,000 on his live tour to support thirty-eight local spots across England, Scotland, and Wales.

The donation helped venues that were facing imminent closure due to issues caused by floods, blazes and family tragedies, as well as licensing issues, court cases and noise complaints.

Additional spaces were granted financial assistance in upgrading infrastructure and sound and lighting systems that positively impacted musicians and concertgoers.

"The idea that money from performances in big venues backs the local stages, where it all starts for artists like me, is just common sense," the star has said.

He is not the first artist to contribute his award winnings to good deeds.

In they won the prize in 1996 for their record Different Class, vocalist Jarvis Cocker announced that the group would donate their prize money to the charity the charity.

In 2002, artist the artist split her bounty between several organizations, including the NSPCC and a Sickle Cell organization.

"And I donated a grand to Highgate Newtown, to their gymnastics class, because I did gymnastics when I was younger and they lacked better apparatus," the artist told the media.

Previously, Ezra Collective contributed their funds to the local youth club that developed their act, alongside other local music groups.

Also winners that year the group donated their prize to a multiple sclerosis charity after a acquaintance was identified with the illness.

"Receiving the award was ample," remarked singer the singer. "The cash was the bonus but we didn't require the cherry, because we had the main prize. So our victory touched somebody else's life."

Last week, the Music Venues Trust revealed it had saved two grassroots venues in south-east England, by placing them under local control.

One venue in the city and The Croft in the city were purchased under the community ownership initiative, which is supported by the arts council and enthusiasts who purchase "stakes" in the venues.