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The artist has handed over the full amount of his £25,000 Mercury Prize prize money to the trust for venues, which functions to save the UK's small live music spots.

The star was presented with the cheque on October 16 as his latest record his work was declared the top album of the last 12 months.

Fender has decided to donate the funds to the MVT, in appreciation of the vital role grassroots venues had in his early career.

"As an artist couldn't be pursuing what I am doing today if it wasn't for all the shows I played around the region, and elsewhere, when I was starting out," said the artist. "These spaces are legendary, but they are in difficulty."

From early 2023 onward, at least 150 of these spaces have ceased operations – about 16% of the whole industry in the UK.

In the last year, well-known musicians such as Pulp, Coldplay, the singer Katy Perry and Sheeran have all aided the Music Venues Trust in its efforts to support the industry, by adding a small levy to their ticket prices, which supports smaller concert halls.

Fender also participated, collecting more than £100,000 on his 2024 arena tour to assist thirty-eight local spots across the UK.

The money supported locations that were confronting possible closure due to difficulties stemming from flooding, fires and personal losses, as well as regulatory hurdles, court cases and sound issues.

Other venues were granted monetary aid in upgrading facilities and gear that helped musicians and concertgoers.

"The idea that funds from performances in large arenas backs the smaller venues, where it all starts for musicians like me, is just logical," Fender has said.

Fender is far from the only musician to contribute his Mercury Prize funds to charitable organizations.

In the band received the award in the mid-90s for their release Different Class, lead singer Cocker announced that the group would contribute their prize money to the non-profit War Child.

In 2002, rapper and singer Ms Dynamite split her bounty across several good causes, such as the children's charity and a Sickle Cell organization.

"And I contributed a thousand pounds to the center, to their gymnastics program, because I did gymnastics when I was growing up and they needed better apparatus," the artist explained to outlets.

In recent years, they gave their prize money to the youth organization that nurtured their group, in addition to other grassroots music organisations.

And winners that year the group gave their prize to a charity for MS after a acquaintance was found to have the condition.

"Winning was quite enough," remarked artist Heather Small. "The cash was the cherry on top but we could do without the cherry, because we had the cake. So our victory affected another person's life."

Recently, the trust revealed it had saved two grassroots venues in the South East, by bringing them into local control.

The Joiners in the city and the second in Bristol were purchased under the Own Our Venues initiative, which is backed by Arts Council England and supporters who purchase "shares" in the buildings.