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The star has donated the complete sum of his twenty-five thousand pound award cash to the Music Venues Trust, which works to save the United Kingdom's independent music venues.

Fender was given the award on 16 October as his new release People Watching was named the top album of the last 12 months.

He has opted to hand the money over to the trust, in appreciation of the vital role grassroots venues played in his beginning days.

"I would not have achieved my current career if it weren't for all the gigs I played around the North East, and elsewhere, when I was beginning," stated Fender. "These locations are renowned, but they are struggling."

Since the start of 2023, over 150 of these venues have ceased operations – approximately one-sixth of the total UK scene.

Over the past year, well-known musicians including Pulp, the group Coldplay, Katy Perry and Ed Sheeran have all aided the Music Venues Trust in its attempts to help venues survive, by applying a modest fee to their ticket costs, which supports independent venues.

He also took part, raising in excess of £100,000 on his 2024 arena tour to support 38 local spots across England, Scotland, and Wales.

The money assisted locations that were confronting imminent closure due to issues stemming from flooding, fire incidents and family tragedies, as well as licensing issues, legal disputes and noise complaints.

Additional spaces obtained funding support in modernizing amenities and sound and lighting systems that helped performers and audiences.

"The idea that money from concerts in big venues helps the independent spots, where it kicks off for artists like me, is just common sense," the star has said.

The musician is not the first artist to give his award prize money to charitable organizations.

In they won the trophy in 1996 for their release Different Class, vocalist the singer stated that the band would give their prize money to the organization War Child.

That year, rapper and singer she split her award among a few organizations, such as the children's charity and a Sickle Cell charity.

"Additionally, I gave a £1,000 to the center, to their gymnastics class, because I did gymnastics when I was younger and they needed updated gear," the artist told outlets.

In recent years, they donated their funds to the local youth club that supported their group, alongside other local music groups.

And winners that year they gave their award to a charity for MS after a friend was found to have the disease.

"The victory was sufficient," remarked vocalist Small. "The prize was the extra but we could do without the extra, because we had the cake. So our victory impacted another person's life."

Recently, the trust announced it had rescued several grassroots venues in that region, by bringing them into local control.

The first in Southampton and the second in the city were acquired under the public acquisition initiative, which is funded by the arts council and music fans who buy "ownership units" in the buildings.