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The artist has given the full amount of his £25,000 honor cash to the Music Venues Trust, which operates to protect the Britain's independent live music spots.

He was presented with the cheque on 16 October as his latest record his work was declared the best record of the last 12 months.

Fender has chosen to hand the money over to the Music Venues Trust, in recognition of the crucial part local spots had in his initial steps.

"As an artist couldn't be pursuing this success if it hadn't been for all the performances I did around the North East, and beyond, when I was starting out," said the artist. "These locations are iconic, but they are in difficulty."

From early 2023 onward, more than 150 of these locations have shut down – roughly 16 percent of the whole industry in the UK.

Over the past year, well-known musicians such as Pulp, Coldplay, Katy Perry and Ed Sheeran have all supported the Music Venues Trust in its initiatives to support the industry, by including a minor surcharge to their admission fees, which goes to help local stages.

Sam Fender also joined in, generating more than £100,000 on his live tour to assist thirty-eight local spots across the UK.

These funds supported venues that were confronting imminent closure due to challenges arising from water damage, fire incidents and family tragedies, as well as licensing issues, legal disputes and noise complaints.

Other venues obtained financial assistance in improving amenities and sound and lighting systems that positively impacted musicians and audiences.

"The concept that revenue from performances in large arenas backs the local stages, where it begins for musicians like me, is just common sense," Fender has stated.

The musician is far from the only musician to give his award prize money to worthy causes.

Back when Pulp earned the prize in the year 1996 for their release Different Class, lead singer Jarvis Cocker announced that the act would donate their winnings to the charity War Child.

In 2002, musician Ms Dynamite divided her bounty among multiple charities, such as the NSPCC and a Sickle Cell charity.

"And I contributed a thousand pounds to Highgate Newtown, to their gymnastics class, because I practiced gymnastics when I was growing up and they lacked updated gear," Ms Dynamite told a publication.

Two years ago, they gave their funds to the youth organization that supported their band, as well as other independent music bodies.

Additionally the 1994 recipients the group contributed their winnings to a charity for MS after a close contact was found to have the condition.

"Receiving the award was sufficient," stated artist the singer. "The cash was the bonus but we could do without the extra, because we had the honor. So our victory affected somebody else's life."

Recently, the Music Venues Trust shared it had protected a couple of small stages in that region, by placing them under public stewardship.

One venue in Southampton and the second in Bristol were purchased under the Own Our Venues scheme, which is backed by a national body and enthusiasts who purchase "shares" in the venues.