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Sam Fender has donated the full amount of his twenty-five thousand pound Mercury Prize winnings to the Music Venues Trust, which operates to save the Britain's independent music venues.

Fender was awarded the cheque on October 16 as his latest record the album was chosen as the best record of the previous year.

He has decided to donate the funds to the Music Venues Trust, in recognition of the crucial part grassroots venues played in his early career.

"As an artist couldn't be pursuing what I am doing today if it wasn't for all the performances I performed around the North East, and beyond, when I was starting out," stated Fender. "These locations are iconic, but they are in difficulty."

From early 2023 onward, more than 150 of these venues have ceased operations – about 16% of the whole industry in the UK.

Over the past year, well-known musicians like Pulp, Coldplay, Katy Perry and Ed Sheeran have all backed the MVT in its efforts to help venues survive, by applying a modest fee to their ticket prices, which goes to help local stages.

Fender also took part, raising in excess of £100,000 on his recent tour to help thirty-eight local spots across Britain.

These funds supported spaces that were confronting imminent closure due to issues arising from floods, fire incidents and family tragedies, as well as permit problems, conflicts and noise complaints.

Other venues were granted monetary aid in improving amenities and technical equipment that directly benefitted artists and fans.

"The idea that money from performances in big venues supports the local stages, where it kicks off for musicians like me, is just sensible," the star has commented.

He is not the first artist to contribute his Mercury Prize winnings to worthy causes.

In they won the trophy in 1996 for their release Different Class, frontman the singer stated that the act would give their cash to the organization War Child.

In 2002, artist the artist shared her prize between multiple charities, like the children's charity and a Sickle Cell organization.

"And I contributed a thousand pounds to my local community centre, to their classes, because I did gymnastics when I was younger and they needed new equipment," the artist told the media.

In recent years, they contributed their prize money to the community center that nurtured their band, in addition to other grassroots music organisations.

And 1994 winners the group donated their award to a multiple sclerosis charity after a close contact was diagnosed the illness.

"Winning was quite enough," remarked vocalist the singer. "The prize was the bonus but we could do without the cherry, because we had the cake. So our winning touched the lives of others."

Recently, the trust revealed it had rescued a couple of small stages in south-east England, by transferring them to community ownership.

The Joiners in the city and the other in that location were acquired under the public acquisition program, which is backed by the arts council and music fans who buy "shares" in the buildings.