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The star has donated the complete sum of his £25k award winnings to the Music Venues Trust, which operates to save the Britain's grassroots music venues.

He was awarded the prize on 16 October as his latest record the album was chosen as the best record of the previous year.

He has chosen to donate the funds to the MVT, in recognition of the essential function grassroots venues fulfilled in his early career.

"I personally would not have achieved this success if it hadn't been for all the gigs I did around the area, and elsewhere, when I was just getting going," said the artist. "These locations are iconic, but they are struggling."

Beginning in 2023, over 150 of these venues have shut down – approximately 16% of the entire UK sector.

Over the past year, major artists like Pulp, Coldplay, Katy Perry and Ed Sheeran have all backed the trust in its efforts to keep the scene afloat, by including a small levy to their ticket costs, which supports local stages.

Fender also joined in, collecting over £100k on his live tour to help thirty-eight small stages across Britain.

These funds assisted spaces that were facing imminent closure due to issues stemming from floods, fire incidents and bereavements, as well as licensing issues, conflicts and noise complaints.

Some locations obtained funding support in improving infrastructure and sound and lighting systems that directly benefitted musicians and audiences.

"The notion that revenue from concerts in large arenas backs the local stages, where it kicks off for performers like me, is just sensible," the star has said.

Fender is among several artists to contribute his award winnings to charitable organizations.

Back when Pulp earned the trophy in 1996 for their release the album, frontman the singer declared that the act would donate their winnings to the organization War Child.

That year, artist the artist shared her prize among multiple organizations, including the NSPCC and a charity for Sickle Cell.

"And I gave a thousand pounds to Highgate Newtown, to their gymnastics class, because I did gymnastics when I was a child and they needed new equipment," the artist shared with the media.

In recent years, they donated their prize money to the youth organization that developed their group, in addition to other local music groups.

Also winners that year they contributed their winnings to a MS organization after a close contact was identified with the disease.

"Receiving the award was quite enough," remarked singer Heather Small. "The money was the cherry on top but we didn't need the cherry, because we had the honor. So our success touched the lives of others."

Last week, the Music Venues Trust revealed it had rescued several local spots in the South East, by placing them under local control.

One venue in the city and the other in the city were purchased under the Own Our Venues scheme, which is backed by the arts council and supporters who purchase "shares" in the venues.