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The star has handed over the complete sum of his £25k honor prize money to the MVT, which operates to save the Britain's grassroots concert spaces.

Fender was given the cheque on mid-October as his third album People Watching was declared the best record of the past year.

He has decided to give the cash to the Music Venues Trust, in recognition of the vital role small stages had in his beginning days.

"I personally wouldn't be doing what I am doing today if it wasn't for all the gigs I played around the region, and elsewhere, when I was just getting going," remarked Fender. "These spaces are legendary, but they are facing challenges."

From early 2023 onward, over 150 of these spaces have shut down – about one-sixth of the whole industry in the UK.

In the last year, major artists like the band Pulp, Coldplay, the singer Katy Perry and Sheeran have all supported the trust in its attempts to help venues survive, by applying a small levy to their admission fees, which goes to help local stages.

He also joined in, generating more than £100,000 on his recent tour to support thirty-eight small stages across the UK.

The money supported venues that were confronting possible closure due to difficulties arising from water damage, blazes and personal losses, as well as licensing issues, legal disputes and sound issues.

Other venues obtained funding support in upgrading infrastructure and gear that directly benefitted artists and audiences.

"The concept that money from shows in major spaces backs the independent spots, where it kicks off for artists like me, is just sensible," the star has commented.

He is not the first artist to contribute his Mercury Prize prize money to good deeds.

In Pulp earned the prize in the year 1996 for their release the album, vocalist the singer declared that the band would give their prize money to the charity War Child.

In 2002, rapper and singer the artist split her award between multiple good causes, such as the children's charity and a charity for Sickle Cell.

"Additionally, I contributed a grand to my local community centre, to their gymnastics program, because I practiced gymnastics when I was a child and they lacked better apparatus," she told outlets.

Two years ago, they gave their funds to the community center that supported their act, as well as other independent music bodies.

Also winners that year they gave their winnings to a charity for MS after a close contact was diagnosed the disease.

"Receiving the award was quite enough," said singer the singer. "The prize was the cherry on top but we could do without the bonus, because we had the cake. So our winning impacted somebody else's life."

Recently, the MVT shared it had rescued several small stages in the South East, by transferring them to local control.

One venue in Southampton and the other in Bristol were purchased under the Own Our Venues scheme, which is funded by a national body and supporters who purchase "stakes" in the buildings.