Sam Fender has given the full amount of his twenty-five thousand pound award prize money to the MVT, which functions to preserve the Britain's small live music spots.
The star was awarded the cheque on mid-October as his new release People Watching was chosen as the outstanding release of the last 12 months.
Fender has opted to donate the funds to the MVT, in recognition of the vital role small stages had in his beginning days.
"As an artist couldn't be pursuing what I am doing today if it weren't for all the gigs I played around the region, and further afield, when I was beginning," remarked Fender. "These venues are renowned, but they are facing challenges."
From early 2023 onward, over 150 of these spaces have shut down – roughly 16 percent of the total UK scene.
Recently, top acts such as the band Pulp, Coldplay, Katy Perry and Ed Sheeran have all supported the Music Venues Trust in its initiatives to help venues survive, by including a minor surcharge to their ticket costs, which benefits local stages.
He also took part, collecting in excess of £100,000 on his recent tour to help numerous local spots across England, Scotland, and Wales.
These funds helped locations that were confronting imminent closure due to challenges arising from floods, blazes and personal losses, as well as regulatory hurdles, court cases and noise complaints.
Other venues were granted funding support in modernizing facilities and gear that positively impacted artists and audiences.
"The concept that money from shows in large arenas helps the independent spots, where it kicks off for artists like me, is just common sense," Fender has stated.
He is among several artists to give his honor winnings to good deeds.
In the band won the award in the mid-90s for their record their work, vocalist the singer stated that the band would give their cash to the non-profit the charity.
That year, rapper and singer the artist shared her bounty across several organizations, such as the NSPCC and a Sickle Cell organization.
"Additionally, I donated a £1,000 to the center, to their gymnastics program, because I trained in gymnastics when I was growing up and they lacked new equipment," the artist shared with outlets.
In recent years, the band gave their winnings to the community center that developed their band, as well as other local music groups.
Additionally 1994 winners M People contributed their winnings to a charity for MS after a acquaintance was identified with the illness.
"Winning was quite enough," stated singer Small. "The money was the bonus but we didn't require the cherry, because we had the honor. So our victory impacted somebody else's life."
In the past week, the Music Venues Trust revealed it had protected a couple of small stages in the South East, by placing them under community ownership.
One venue in the city and the second in Bristol were acquired under the public acquisition scheme, which is backed by a national body and supporters who buy "stakes" in the venues.
