Sam Fender has donated the entirety of his twenty-five thousand pound award winnings to the Music Venues Trust, which functions to save the UK's small music venues.
The star was awarded the award on mid-October as his latest record People Watching was named the top album of the previous year.
Fender has decided to give the cash to the trust, in appreciation of the crucial part local spots fulfilled in his initial steps.
"As an artist would not have achieved this success if it hadn't been for all the shows I performed around the North East, and beyond, when I was just getting going," stated the artist. "These spaces are legendary, but they are in difficulty."
Since the start of 2023, over 150 of these spaces have ceased operations – about one-sixth of the whole industry in the UK.
Over the past year, top acts like Pulp, the group Coldplay, the singer Katy Perry and Ed Sheeran have all aided the Music Venues Trust in its initiatives to help venues survive, by adding a small levy to their admission fees, which goes to help local stages.
He also participated, collecting in excess of £100,000 on his recent tour to help 38 local spots across Britain.
The donation helped spaces that were confronting potential shutdown due to challenges stemming from flooding, blazes and family tragedies, as well as regulatory hurdles, conflicts and sound issues.
Other venues obtained monetary aid in upgrading facilities and sound and lighting systems that directly benefitted musicians and audiences.
"The notion that funds from shows in large arenas supports the independent spots, where it begins for performers like me, is just logical," the star has said.
He is not the first artist to contribute his award prize money to good deeds.
Back when Pulp won the trophy in the mid-90s for their release Different Class, frontman Jarvis Cocker stated that the group would donate their cash to the non-profit War Child.
That year, musician the artist split her prize between multiple good causes, like the NSPCC and a charity for Sickle Cell.
"And I contributed a grand to Highgate Newtown, to their gymnastics program, because I did gymnastics when I was a child and they required updated gear," the artist explained to the media.
Previously, the band contributed their funds to the youth organization that supported their act, in addition to other grassroots music organisations.
Additionally winners that year M People donated their prize to a charity for MS after a acquaintance was found to have the illness.
"Winning was quite enough," remarked singer the singer. "The prize was the extra but we didn't need the bonus, because we had the honor. So our winning touched another person's life."
Recently, the Music Venues Trust announced it had saved several local spots in south-east England, by transferring them to community ownership.
The Joiners in Southampton and the second in Bristol were bought under the community ownership scheme, which is supported by a national body and music fans who buy "stakes" in the properties.
