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Sam Fender has donated the complete sum of his £25,000 honor winnings to the Music Venues Trust, which functions to save the UK's small concert spaces.

The star was presented with the award on October 16 as his latest record People Watching was declared the outstanding release of the last 12 months.

The musician has decided to donate the funds to the Music Venues Trust, in acknowledgment of the vital role local spots played in his early career.

"I personally would not have achieved my current career if it weren't for all the gigs I did around the area, and further afield, when I was beginning," said Fender. "These locations are legendary, but they are in difficulty."

Since the start of 2023, more than 150 of these locations have permanently closed – roughly 16 percent of the entire UK sector.

In the last year, major artists including Pulp, Coldplay, Katy Perry and Ed Sheeran have all supported the Music Venues Trust in its efforts to help venues survive, by adding a small levy to their ticket costs, which goes to help smaller concert halls.

He also took part, raising in excess of £100,000 on his recent tour to support numerous local spots across England, Scotland, and Wales.

The donation supported spaces that were dealing with possible closure due to difficulties caused by flooding, fires and family tragedies, as well as regulatory hurdles, court cases and sound issues.

Other venues obtained financial assistance in improving amenities and gear that directly benefitted musicians and fans.

"The notion that revenue from concerts in large arenas helps the local stages, where it kicks off for artists like me, is just common sense," Sam Fender has commented.

Fender is not the first artist to donate his Mercury Prize funds to worthy causes.

In Pulp won the prize in the mid-90s for their release Different Class, vocalist Jarvis Cocker announced that the group would give their cash to the charity the charity.

During 2002, rapper and singer Ms Dynamite divided her bounty among multiple charities, like the NSPCC and a Sickle Cell charity.

"Additionally, I donated a grand to the center, to their classes, because I trained in gymnastics when I was younger and they lacked updated gear," Ms Dynamite told a publication.

Previously, Ezra Collective contributed their winnings to the community center that developed their act, in addition to other local music groups.

Additionally the 1994 recipients M People donated their winnings to a MS organization after a friend was diagnosed the disease.

"The victory was sufficient," remarked vocalist Heather Small. "The money was the extra but we didn't need the extra, because we had the honor. So our winning impacted the lives of others."

Last week, the trust announced it had protected two grassroots venues in the South East, by bringing them into community ownership.

The Joiners in Southampton and the second in Bristol were bought under the public acquisition scheme, which is supported by the arts council and music fans who buy "ownership units" in the venues.