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Sam Fender has donated the entirety of his £25k honor prize money to the trust for venues, which operates to preserve the UK's small music venues.

He was awarded the cheque on October 16 as his third album his work was chosen as the top album of the last 12 months.

He has opted to hand the money over to the trust, in recognition of the vital role small stages had in his beginning days.

"As an artist wouldn't be doing what I am doing today if it hadn't been for all the gigs I played around the North East, and further afield, when I was just getting going," stated Fender. "These locations are legendary, but they are struggling."

Since the start of 2023, over 150 of these venues have permanently closed – roughly one-sixth of the total UK scene.

Over the past year, top acts like Pulp, Coldplay, Katy Perry and Ed Sheeran have all aided the Music Venues Trust in its efforts to help venues survive, by including a minor surcharge to their ticket costs, which goes to help local stages.

He also participated, collecting over £100k on his live tour to support 38 small stages across the UK.

The money helped venues that were dealing with potential shutdown due to issues arising from flooding, blazes and family tragedies, as well as regulatory hurdles, legal disputes and sound issues.

Additional spaces obtained financial assistance in improving facilities and sound and lighting systems that positively impacted musicians and fans.

"The idea that money from shows in big venues supports the smaller venues, where it kicks off for artists like me, is just common sense," the star has said.

Fender is far from the only musician to give his Mercury Prize winnings to good deeds.

In Pulp won the award in the year 1996 for their record the album, vocalist Jarvis Cocker announced that the group would donate their winnings to the organization the charity.

During 2002, musician the artist divided her prize between multiple charities, like the children's charity and a Sickle Cell charity.

"And I donated a grand to Highgate Newtown, to their classes, because I did gymnastics when I was younger and they lacked better apparatus," Ms Dynamite explained to outlets.

In recent years, the band donated their winnings to the youth organization that nurtured their act, as well as other local music groups.

Also the 1994 recipients they contributed their award to a MS organization after a friend was diagnosed the illness.

"Receiving the award was quite enough," said singer the singer. "The cash was the extra but we could do without the extra, because we had the cake. So our victory affected somebody else's life."

Last week, the MVT revealed it had rescued two local spots in south-east England, by placing them under community ownership.

The Joiners in that area and the second in Bristol were bought under the community ownership scheme, which is supported by the arts council and supporters who acquire "ownership units" in the venues.