The artist donates his £25k prize award winnings to small music venues
The star has donated the entirety of his £25,000 honor winnings to the Music Venues Trust, which operates to save the United Kingdom's small live music spots.
He was awarded the award on October 16 as his new release the album was declared the best record of the past year.
He has decided to give the cash to the MVT, in appreciation of the essential function local spots had in his early career.
"I would not have achieved what I am doing today if it wasn't for all the shows I did around the North East, and further afield, when I was just getting going," remarked the artist. "These locations are iconic, but they are struggling."
From early 2023 onward, at least 150 of these spaces have permanently closed – roughly one-sixth of the whole industry in the UK.
In the last year, well-known musicians including the band Pulp, Coldplay, Katy Perry and Ed Sheeran have all aided the Music Venues Trust in its initiatives to help venues survive, by including a minor surcharge to their admission fees, which goes to help smaller concert halls.
Fender also took part, collecting more than £100,000 on his recent tour to support 38 small stages across England, Scotland, and Wales.
The donation helped spaces that were facing possible closure due to difficulties caused by water damage, blazes and personal losses, as well as regulatory hurdles, legal disputes and sound issues.
Additional spaces received financial assistance in modernizing amenities and technical equipment that positively impacted musicians and concertgoers.
"The notion that revenue from concerts in large arenas helps the smaller venues, where it kicks off for musicians like me, is just common sense," the star has commented.
He is among several artists to contribute his award winnings to worthy causes.
Back when Pulp earned the trophy in 1996 for their record their work, frontman Jarvis Cocker announced that the band would give their cash to the organization War Child.
During 2002, artist she shared her prize between a few good causes, such as the NSPCC and a Sickle Cell organization.
"Additionally, I gave a £1,000 to the center, to their gymnastics program, because I trained in gymnastics when I was younger and they needed new equipment," Ms Dynamite told a publication.
Previously, the band gave their winnings to the youth organization that supported their group, alongside other independent music bodies.
And winners that year M People gave their winnings to a MS organization after a friend was found to have the illness.
"The victory was quite enough," stated vocalist Small. "The money was the cherry on top but we didn't require the cherry, because we had the honor. So our winning affected another person's life."
Last week, the trust revealed it had saved two small stages in that region, by placing them under local control.
The first in Southampton and the second in that location were bought under the public acquisition initiative, which is supported by a national body and enthusiasts who buy "stakes" in the buildings.