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The artist has given the full amount of his £25,000 honor winnings to the Music Venues Trust, which works to save the United Kingdom's grassroots concert spaces.

Fender was awarded the cheque on October 16 as his third album People Watching was declared the top album of the last 12 months.

He has chosen to give the cash to the MVT, in recognition of the essential function local spots had in his initial steps.

"I personally couldn't be pursuing what I am doing today if it hadn't been for all the performances I performed around the area, and beyond, when I was starting out," stated the artist. "These spaces are legendary, but they are struggling."

Beginning in 2023, over 150 of these venues have shut down – approximately 16 percent of the total UK scene.

In the last year, major artists like the band Pulp, the group Coldplay, Katy Perry and Ed Sheeran have all aided the MVT in its attempts to support the industry, by including a modest fee to their ticket prices, which goes to help independent venues.

He also joined in, collecting over £100k on his live tour to assist 38 local spots across Britain.

These funds assisted locations that were facing potential shutdown due to issues stemming from floods, blazes and personal losses, as well as permit problems, conflicts and sound issues.

Some locations obtained financial assistance in improving amenities and sound and lighting systems that positively impacted artists and audiences.

"The notion that revenue from shows in major spaces supports the independent spots, where it kicks off for musicians like me, is just common sense," Fender has said.

The musician is among several artists to donate his award winnings to charitable organizations.

Back when the band received the trophy in 1996 for their release the album, vocalist the singer announced that the group would donate their cash to the organization War Child.

In 2002, rapper and singer she shared her prize between several good causes, like the NSPCC and a Sickle Cell charity.

"Additionally, I contributed a £1,000 to my local community centre, to their gymnastics class, because I trained in gymnastics when I was younger and they required new equipment," she told a publication.

In recent years, they contributed their funds to the youth organization that supported their group, alongside other grassroots music organisations.

And 1994 winners the group donated their winnings to a multiple sclerosis charity after a acquaintance was identified with the disease.

"The victory was sufficient," stated singer the singer. "The money was the cherry on top but we didn't require the cherry, because we had the main prize. So our winning affected the lives of others."

In the past week, the MVT announced it had saved two local spots in that region, by bringing them into public stewardship.

The first in that area and the second in the city were purchased under the Own Our Venues program, which is supported by a national body and enthusiasts who buy "shares" in the venues.