Sam Fender has handed over the entirety of his £25,000 honor prize money to the Music Venues Trust, which operates to protect the Britain's grassroots live music spots.
The star was given the cheque on October 16 as his new release the album was chosen as the top album of the past year.
Fender has opted to hand the money over to the Music Venues Trust, in acknowledgment of the vital role local spots fulfilled in his initial steps.
"I personally couldn't be pursuing what I am doing today if it weren't for all the gigs I played around the North East, and elsewhere, when I was starting out," stated Fender. "These venues are renowned, but they are facing challenges."
From early 2023 onward, more than 150 of these venues have shut down – approximately 16% of the total UK scene.
Over the past year, top acts like Pulp, Coldplay, Katy Perry and Ed Sheeran have all aided the trust in its initiatives to keep the scene afloat, by including a minor surcharge to their ticket costs, which goes to help local stages.
Sam Fender also joined in, raising more than £100,000 on his 2024 arena tour to assist thirty-eight grassroots venues across Britain.
These funds assisted spaces that were confronting possible closure due to difficulties stemming from water damage, fires and bereavements, as well as regulatory hurdles, court cases and neighbor objections.
Some locations obtained funding support in upgrading amenities and gear that helped performers and audiences.
"The idea that funds from concerts in major spaces backs the smaller venues, where it all starts for musicians like me, is just logical," Sam Fender has said.
The musician is far from the only musician to donate his award prize money to good deeds.
In the band received the trophy in 1996 for their record Different Class, frontman the singer announced that the act would give their cash to the non-profit War Child.
That year, artist Ms Dynamite split her prize across a few organizations, like the NSPCC and a Sickle Cell organization.
"I also donated a grand to the center, to their gymnastics program, because I practiced gymnastics when I was younger and they lacked better apparatus," the artist explained to the media.
Previously, Ezra Collective donated their funds to the community center that developed their band, alongside other local music groups.
Also winners that year M People contributed their prize to a charity for MS after a acquaintance was diagnosed the illness.
"Winning was ample," said artist Small. "The cash was the extra but we didn't need the extra, because we had the honor. So our winning affected another person's life."
Last week, the trust shared it had rescued a couple of small stages in the South East, by placing them under public stewardship.
One venue in Southampton and the second in that location were acquired under the Own Our Venues initiative, which is backed by the arts council and music fans who acquire "shares" in the buildings.
