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Sam Fender has donated the entirety of his £25k Mercury Prize cash to the Music Venues Trust, which works to preserve the UK's independent live music spots.

The star was given the prize on October 16 as his new release his work was named the outstanding release of the previous year.

He has opted to donate the funds to the Music Venues Trust, in acknowledgment of the vital role local spots had in his beginning days.

"As an artist wouldn't be doing what I am doing today if it hadn't been for all the performances I performed around the area, and elsewhere, when I was beginning," remarked the artist. "These locations are renowned, but they are struggling."

Since the start of 2023, more than 150 of these locations have permanently closed – approximately one-sixth of the entire UK sector.

In the last year, well-known musicians like Pulp, Coldplay, the singer Katy Perry and Ed Sheeran have all supported the Music Venues Trust in its efforts to help venues survive, by adding a minor surcharge to their ticket prices, which benefits local stages.

Fender also joined in, collecting over £100k on his live tour to help thirty-eight local spots across the UK.

The donation helped locations that were facing possible closure due to issues arising from floods, blazes and bereavements, as well as licensing issues, court cases and sound issues.

Some locations obtained monetary aid in modernizing facilities and gear that positively impacted artists and concertgoers.

"The idea that funds from performances in big venues supports the local stages, where it begins for artists like me, is just sensible," Sam Fender has stated.

Fender is among several artists to donate his award funds to worthy causes.

When they received the trophy in 1996 for their release Different Class, vocalist the singer stated that the act would give their cash to the organization the charity.

In 2002, musician the artist divided her bounty between a few organizations, such as the NSPCC and a Sickle Cell organization.

"And I gave a thousand pounds to my local community centre, to their gymnastics program, because I practiced gymnastics when I was a child and they lacked better apparatus," Ms Dynamite explained to outlets.

Two years ago, Ezra Collective donated their funds to the local youth club that nurtured their act, in addition to other grassroots music organisations.

Also the 1994 recipients the group gave their award to a charity for MS after a acquaintance was diagnosed the illness.

"The victory was sufficient," said singer Heather Small. "The cash was the extra but we didn't require the extra, because we had the honor. So our winning impacted another person's life."

In the past week, the MVT shared it had protected a couple of grassroots venues in south-east England, by bringing them into local control.

The first in Southampton and The Croft in Bristol were purchased under the Own Our Venues program, which is supported by Arts Council England and supporters who purchase "stakes" in the buildings.