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The artist has handed over the complete sum of his £25k Mercury Prize winnings to the MVT, which functions to save the Britain's small concert spaces.

The star was awarded the cheque on mid-October as his third album People Watching was declared the best record of the previous year.

Fender has decided to hand the money over to the trust, in appreciation of the vital role grassroots venues played in his early career.

"I wouldn't be doing this success if it wasn't for all the shows I played around the area, and beyond, when I was beginning," remarked Fender. "These locations are iconic, but they are in difficulty."

Since the start of 2023, at least 150 of these locations have shut down – approximately 16% of the total UK scene.

In the last year, well-known musicians including Pulp, the group Coldplay, Katy Perry and Sheeran have all backed the Music Venues Trust in its initiatives to support the industry, by including a modest fee to their ticket prices, which supports local stages.

Fender also participated, collecting over £100k on his 2024 arena tour to support thirty-eight grassroots venues across the UK.

These funds supported locations that were dealing with potential shutdown due to difficulties stemming from flooding, fire incidents and family tragedies, as well as licensing issues, court cases and noise complaints.

Additional spaces obtained funding support in modernizing amenities and sound and lighting systems that helped artists and concertgoers.

"The concept that revenue from performances in major spaces supports the local stages, where it kicks off for artists like me, is just logical," the star has said.

The musician is not the first artist to contribute his Mercury Prize winnings to worthy causes.

When Pulp received the prize in the year 1996 for their release Different Class, lead singer Cocker declared that the act would donate their cash to the charity War Child.

That year, rapper and singer she split her award across a few organizations, such as the NSPCC and a Sickle Cell organization.

"Additionally, I gave a grand to Highgate Newtown, to their gymnastics program, because I trained in gymnastics when I was growing up and they required updated gear," she shared with outlets.

Two years ago, the band contributed their winnings to the community center that supported their act, in addition to other local music groups.

And winners that year the group donated their award to a MS organization after a acquaintance was diagnosed the condition.

"The victory was quite enough," stated singer Heather Small. "The cash was the bonus but we didn't need the cherry, because we had the honor. So our success affected the lives of others."

Last week, the MVT announced it had protected several local spots in south-east England, by placing them under public stewardship.

The Joiners in that area and The Croft in the city were acquired under the community ownership initiative, which is supported by Arts Council England and enthusiasts who buy "ownership units" in the venues.