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Sam Fender has handed over the complete sum of his £25k Mercury Prize prize money to the trust for venues, which works to preserve the Britain's independent music venues.

He was presented with the cheque on 16 October as his latest record People Watching was named the outstanding release of the past year.

He has decided to donate the funds to the MVT, in recognition of the essential function grassroots venues played in his beginning days.

"As an artist would not have achieved what I am doing today if it weren't for all the gigs I did around the North East, and beyond, when I was just getting going," stated Fender. "These venues are iconic, but they are facing challenges."

Beginning in 2023, more than 150 of these locations have shut down – approximately 16 percent of the total UK scene.

Over the past year, well-known musicians like the band Pulp, Coldplay, the singer Katy Perry and Ed Sheeran have all supported the trust in its initiatives to help venues survive, by including a minor surcharge to their ticket prices, which goes to help independent venues.

He also took part, generating in excess of £100,000 on his 2024 arena tour to help 38 local spots across Britain.

The donation supported locations that were confronting potential shutdown due to challenges stemming from floods, fires and personal losses, as well as regulatory hurdles, conflicts and sound issues.

Additional spaces were granted financial assistance in modernizing infrastructure and technical equipment that helped performers and concertgoers.

"The concept that revenue from performances in big venues supports the independent spots, where it begins for performers like me, is just logical," Sam Fender has stated.

He is far from the only musician to give his honor funds to good deeds.

In they earned the award in the year 1996 for their release Different Class, frontman Jarvis Cocker stated that the act would donate their winnings to the non-profit War Child.

During 2002, musician the artist split her award between a few charities, like the NSPCC and a Sickle Cell charity.

"I also gave a grand to my local community centre, to their classes, because I did gymnastics when I was younger and they required new equipment," she explained to outlets.

In recent years, the band gave their prize money to the local youth club that developed their band, in addition to other grassroots music organisations.

Also 1994 winners they donated their winnings to a charity for MS after a friend was identified with the condition.

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

Last week, the MVT announced it had saved a couple of local spots in south-east England, by placing them under local control.

The first in Southampton and the second in Bristol were bought under the public acquisition initiative, which is backed by a national body and music fans who acquire "stakes" in the buildings.