Sam Fender has handed over the complete sum of his £25,000 honor winnings to the Music Venues Trust, which operates to preserve the United Kingdom's grassroots concert spaces.
The star was presented with the award on mid-October as his latest record People Watching was chosen as the best record of the past year.
The musician has decided to give the cash to the MVT, in recognition of the essential function small stages had in his beginning days.
"As an artist couldn't be pursuing this success if it hadn't been for all the shows I did around the region, and further afield, when I was just getting going," stated the artist. "These spaces are legendary, but they are in difficulty."
From early 2023 onward, over 150 of these locations have ceased operations – about one-sixth of the total UK scene.
Over the past year, top acts like Pulp, the group Coldplay, the singer 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 admission fees, which benefits local stages.
Sam Fender also took part, collecting in excess of £100,000 on his recent tour to assist numerous grassroots venues across Britain.
The donation supported venues that were confronting imminent closure due to issues stemming from flooding, blazes and personal losses, as well as permit problems, court cases and noise complaints.
Additional spaces were granted funding support in improving amenities and sound and lighting systems that helped artists and fans.
"The idea that money from shows in big venues helps the smaller venues, where it begins for performers like me, is just common sense," Sam Fender has stated.
Fender is far from the only musician to give his honor winnings to good deeds.
In Pulp received the prize in 1996 for their album their work, frontman Cocker declared that the act would donate their winnings to the charity the charity.
In 2002, artist the artist shared her bounty between a few charities, such as the NSPCC and a charity for Sickle Cell.
"I also gave a £1,000 to my local community centre, to their gymnastics program, because I trained in gymnastics when I was growing up and they needed better apparatus," the artist shared with outlets.
Previously, they donated their funds to the local youth club that developed their group, in addition to other independent music bodies.
Also the 1994 recipients they gave their award to a multiple sclerosis charity after a friend was identified with the disease.
"The victory was sufficient," remarked singer Small. "The cash was the extra but we didn't need the bonus, because we had the honor. So our winning touched another person's life."
Last week, the Music Venues Trust shared it had saved several grassroots venues in the South East, by placing them under community ownership.
One venue in the city and The Croft in Bristol were bought under the public acquisition program, which is backed by Arts Council England and enthusiasts who buy "shares" in the properties.
