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Sam Fender has donated the entirety of his £25,000 Mercury Prize prize money to the trust for venues, which operates to protect the United Kingdom's independent live music spots.

The star was awarded the prize on 16 October as his new release the album was declared the outstanding release of the previous year.

Fender has chosen to hand the money over to the Music Venues Trust, in acknowledgment of the crucial part local spots played in his beginning days.

"I wouldn't be doing what I am doing today if it wasn't for all the gigs I did around the region, and further afield, when I was starting out," remarked Sam Fender. "These spaces are legendary, but they are in difficulty."

Beginning in 2023, more than 150 of these venues have permanently closed – about one-sixth of the entire UK sector.

Recently, top acts including Pulp, Coldplay, Katy Perry and Ed Sheeran have all backed the trust in its initiatives to support the industry, by applying a modest fee to their ticket prices, which benefits smaller concert halls.

Sam Fender also took part, raising over £100k on his live tour to help numerous grassroots venues across the UK.

These funds supported spaces that were facing imminent closure due to difficulties stemming from water damage, fire incidents and personal losses, as well as licensing issues, court cases and noise complaints.

Some locations obtained monetary aid in improving infrastructure and sound and lighting systems that directly benefitted artists and audiences.

"The concept that revenue from concerts in major spaces supports the independent spots, where it kicks off for performers like me, is just common sense," Sam Fender has commented.

Fender is not the first artist to give his award prize money to charitable organizations.

In they won the trophy in the mid-90s for their album Different Class, lead singer Cocker declared that the act would give their winnings to the organization War Child.

That year, rapper and singer Ms Dynamite shared her prize between a few organizations, including the NSPCC and a Sickle Cell organization.

"I also gave a £1,000 to the center, to their gymnastics program, because I did gymnastics when I was growing up and they required updated gear," she shared with outlets.

Previously, the band contributed their winnings to the local youth club that nurtured their band, alongside other independent music bodies.

And winners that year the group donated their winnings to a charity for MS after a friend was identified with the illness.

"Receiving the award was ample," stated vocalist Heather Small. "The cash was the extra but we didn't need the bonus, because we had the main prize. So our success impacted another person's life."

Last week, the Music Venues Trust announced it had rescued several small stages in south-east England, by placing them under community ownership.

One venue in the city and The Croft in the city were purchased under the Own Our Venues initiative, which is funded by a national body and supporters who purchase "shares" in the buildings.