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The star has handed over the entirety of his £25k honor winnings to the trust for venues, which operates to save the United Kingdom's small live music spots.

The star was presented with the cheque on mid-October as his latest record People Watching was declared the best record of the previous year.

The musician has decided to hand the money over to the Music Venues Trust, in appreciation of the vital role grassroots venues played in his beginning days.

"I personally would not have achieved what I am doing today if it hadn't been for all the gigs I performed around the North East, and further afield, when I was starting out," remarked Sam Fender. "These venues are renowned, but they are facing challenges."

Beginning in 2023, at least 150 of these venues have permanently closed – about 16% of the entire UK sector.

Over the past year, well-known musicians like the band Pulp, Coldplay, Katy Perry and Sheeran have all supported the trust in its attempts to help venues survive, by applying a small levy to their ticket prices, which supports smaller concert halls.

Sam Fender also took part, generating more than £100,000 on his 2024 arena tour to help numerous grassroots venues across England, Scotland, and Wales.

The money helped locations that were facing potential shutdown due to difficulties arising from floods, blazes and bereavements, as well as permit problems, court cases and noise complaints.

Additional spaces were granted funding support in upgrading infrastructure and gear that positively impacted musicians and audiences.

"The concept that money from concerts in major spaces helps the smaller venues, where it all starts for artists like me, is just logical," the star has commented.

He is among several artists to contribute his honor prize money to good deeds.

Back when Pulp received the prize in 1996 for their record Different Class, lead singer Jarvis Cocker stated that the band would donate their cash to the non-profit War Child.

That year, rapper and singer she divided her bounty between multiple organizations, such as the NSPCC and a charity for Sickle Cell.

"And I gave a grand to the center, to their gymnastics program, because I practiced gymnastics when I was a child and they needed better apparatus," she told the media.

Previously, they donated their prize money to the local youth club that developed their act, alongside other local music groups.

Additionally the 1994 recipients M People contributed their award to a MS organization after a close contact was identified with the illness.

"The victory was quite enough," stated vocalist Small. "The cash was the bonus but we didn't require the extra, because we had the main prize. So our success impacted another person's life."

In the past week, the MVT revealed it had saved two grassroots venues in south-east England, by transferring them to public stewardship.

The first in Southampton and the second in that location were acquired under the public acquisition initiative, which is funded by the arts council and music fans who buy "shares" in the properties.