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Sam Fender has handed over the entirety of his twenty-five thousand pound Mercury Prize winnings to the Music Venues Trust, which works to save the Britain's independent live music spots.

The star was given the cheque on mid-October as his new release People Watching was chosen as the top album of the previous year.

Fender has decided to hand the money over to the MVT, in acknowledgment of the essential function small stages fulfilled in his initial steps.

"As an artist wouldn't be doing what I am doing today if it wasn't for all the shows I performed around the region, and beyond, when I was starting out," remarked Fender. "These locations are legendary, but they are in difficulty."

Beginning in 2023, over 150 of these spaces have shut down – about 16% of the whole industry in the UK.

Over the past year, well-known musicians such as the band Pulp, the group Coldplay, Katy Perry and Ed Sheeran have all supported the Music Venues Trust in its attempts to support the industry, by applying a modest fee to their ticket prices, which benefits smaller concert halls.

He also participated, raising more than £100,000 on his 2024 arena tour to assist thirty-eight small stages across Britain.

These funds helped spaces that were facing possible closure due to difficulties stemming from flooding, fire incidents and personal losses, as well as regulatory hurdles, legal disputes and sound issues.

Additional spaces were granted funding support in upgrading amenities and sound and lighting systems that helped artists and audiences.

"The idea that revenue from performances in major spaces supports the local stages, where it begins for artists like me, is just logical," the star has said.

He is not the first artist to contribute his award winnings to good deeds.

When the band earned the award in the mid-90s for their album the album, frontman Cocker declared that the group would donate their cash to the non-profit the charity.

During 2002, musician she divided her prize across a few organizations, like the NSPCC and a Sickle Cell organization.

"And I gave a £1,000 to my local community centre, to their classes, because I practiced gymnastics when I was growing up and they lacked updated gear," the artist shared with a publication.

Two years ago, the band gave their funds to the local youth club that nurtured their act, alongside other independent music bodies.

And the 1994 recipients they gave their winnings to a MS organization after a close contact was identified with the disease.

"The victory was ample," stated singer the singer. "The prize was the bonus but we didn't need the extra, because we had the main prize. So our victory affected another person's life."

Recently, the trust shared it had rescued a couple of local spots in the South East, by bringing them into local control.

The Joiners in Southampton and the second in that location were purchased under the public acquisition initiative, which is backed by Arts Council England and supporters who purchase "ownership units" in the properties.