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Sam Fender has handed over the full amount of his twenty-five thousand pound honor winnings to the trust for venues, which works to protect the United Kingdom's grassroots music venues.

The star was given the cheque on 16 October as his latest record his work was named the top album of the past year.

The musician has opted to give the cash to the trust, in appreciation of the vital role grassroots venues played in his beginning days.

"I wouldn't be doing my current career if it hadn't been for all the performances I played around the region, and further afield, when I was starting out," remarked the artist. "These venues are renowned, but they are facing challenges."

Beginning in 2023, over 150 of these spaces have permanently closed – roughly 16 percent of the entire UK sector.

Recently, well-known musicians like Pulp, Coldplay, the singer Katy Perry and Ed Sheeran have all backed the Music Venues Trust in its attempts to help venues survive, by applying a small levy to their ticket costs, which supports independent venues.

Fender also took part, generating more than £100,000 on his 2024 arena tour to assist numerous small stages across Britain.

The money assisted locations that were confronting possible closure due to challenges caused by flooding, fire incidents and family tragedies, as well as regulatory hurdles, legal disputes and neighbor objections.

Additional spaces obtained funding support in improving infrastructure and technical equipment that directly benefitted musicians and fans.

"The concept that money from concerts in large arenas backs the independent spots, where it begins for artists like me, is just common sense," Fender has stated.

He is not the first artist to contribute his award winnings to charitable organizations.

When the band earned the prize in the mid-90s for their record their work, vocalist the singer stated that the band would donate their winnings to the charity War Child.

That year, musician Ms Dynamite divided her prize across a few good causes, such as the NSPCC and a charity for Sickle Cell.

"I also contributed a £1,000 to my local community centre, to their gymnastics class, because I practiced gymnastics when I was younger and they needed better apparatus," Ms Dynamite shared with outlets.

Previously, they gave their prize money to the community center that developed their band, in addition to other independent music bodies.

And winners that year the group contributed their award to a multiple sclerosis charity after a acquaintance was identified with the disease.

"Receiving the award was sufficient," stated vocalist the singer. "The prize was the cherry on top but we could do without the extra, because we had the cake. So our victory affected the lives of others."

Recently, the Music Venues Trust announced it had saved a couple of local spots in the South East, by transferring them to public stewardship.

The first in the city and the other in that location were bought under the community ownership program, which is funded by Arts Council England and music fans who acquire "ownership units" in the venues.