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The artist has given the entirety of his twenty-five thousand pound award winnings to the MVT, which works to save the Britain's small music venues.

Fender was presented with the prize on 16 October as his latest record People Watching was declared the best record of the last 12 months.

He has opted to hand the money over to the Music Venues Trust, in recognition of the crucial part grassroots venues fulfilled in his beginning days.

"I couldn't be pursuing what I am doing today if it wasn't for all the performances I performed around the North East, and elsewhere, when I was starting out," said the artist. "These venues are renowned, but they are struggling."

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

Over the past year, well-known musicians including the band Pulp, the group Coldplay, Katy Perry and Ed Sheeran have all backed the trust in its initiatives to help venues survive, by including a small levy to their ticket prices, which benefits local stages.

He also joined in, generating in excess of £100,000 on his live tour to help 38 small stages across Britain.

The donation supported locations that were confronting potential shutdown due to difficulties arising from water damage, blazes and family tragedies, as well as licensing issues, legal disputes and sound issues.

Other venues obtained financial assistance in modernizing facilities and sound and lighting systems that directly benefitted musicians and concertgoers.

"The concept that revenue from shows in big venues supports the smaller venues, where it all starts for artists like me, is just common sense," the star has stated.

He is not the first artist to give his Mercury Prize funds to worthy causes.

When Pulp earned the trophy in the year 1996 for their album the album, frontman the singer declared that the group would give their cash to the organization the charity.

During 2002, musician the artist divided her award between a few organizations, including the NSPCC and a Sickle Cell charity.

"And I contributed a thousand pounds to my local community centre, to their classes, because I did gymnastics when I was younger and they lacked better apparatus," she told outlets.

Previously, the band donated their prize money to the local youth club that nurtured their group, as well as other local music groups.

Additionally the 1994 recipients M People donated their winnings to a MS organization after a close contact was found to have the condition.

"Winning was ample," stated artist Small. "The prize was the cherry on top but we didn't require the bonus, because we had the cake. So our victory affected another person's life."

In the past week, the trust revealed it had rescued two local spots in the South East, by placing them under public stewardship.

The first in the city and the second in the city were acquired under the community ownership program, which is funded by a national body and enthusiasts who acquire "shares" in the properties.