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Sam Fender has handed over the entirety of his £25k award cash to the MVT, which functions to save the UK's small music venues.

Fender was awarded the cheque on October 16 as his latest record People Watching was declared the top album of the previous year.

Fender has opted to hand the money over to the trust, in appreciation of the vital role local spots played in his beginning days.

"I wouldn't be doing this success if it weren't for all the gigs I played around the North East, and further afield, when I was beginning," stated Sam Fender. "These locations are iconic, but they are facing challenges."

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

Over the past year, well-known musicians such as Pulp, Coldplay, Katy Perry and Ed Sheeran have all backed the MVT in its attempts to keep the scene afloat, by applying a small levy to their ticket prices, which goes to help smaller concert halls.

Fender also joined in, collecting more than £100,000 on his recent tour to assist 38 local spots across England, Scotland, and Wales.

These funds supported spaces that were facing potential shutdown due to difficulties arising from floods, fires and bereavements, as well as permit problems, conflicts and neighbor objections.

Other venues were granted funding support in improving infrastructure and technical equipment that directly benefitted artists and concertgoers.

"The idea that funds from performances in large arenas backs the smaller venues, where it begins for musicians like me, is just common sense," Fender has stated.

He is among several artists to give his honor winnings to charitable organizations.

When they won the trophy in 1996 for their release their work, lead singer Cocker declared that the act would donate their cash to the charity the charity.

In 2002, musician Ms Dynamite divided her bounty across several organizations, like the NSPCC and a charity for Sickle Cell.

"And I donated a grand to my local community centre, to their classes, because I trained in gymnastics when I was a child and they lacked new equipment," she explained to the media.

Two years ago, the band donated their prize money to the community center that nurtured their act, as well as other local music groups.

And winners that year the group donated their award to a multiple sclerosis charity after a close contact was diagnosed the disease.

"The victory was ample," remarked singer Heather Small. "The cash was the extra but we didn't require the bonus, because we had the cake. So our success touched somebody else's life."

In the past week, the Music Venues Trust announced it had rescued several grassroots venues in the South East, by bringing them into public stewardship.

The Joiners in the city and the second in Bristol were purchased under the public acquisition program, which is backed by a national body and supporters who acquire "stakes" in the properties.