How about honours for unsung heroes?

Completely agree with Songstress and EmilyHarburn. People should not get awards for doing their jobs-only for extraordinary (ie more than most of us do) voluntary or brave contributions to society. Being famous and rich or having a high-flying and highly paid job seems to gain too many awards that are better merited by others without those advantages.

The business of honoring people who have done a paid job should stop.

It gets me so angry to see celebrities being given honours. Very few key workers received awards during the pandemic. It was the usual overpaid, egomaniac stars. Aren't they well paid enough! It's either celebrities or senior managers with gold plated pensions and great salaries. One woman I knew this year was an NHS manager and she has been given an award. Not ONE nurse at her hospital have been recognised. The New Years honour system is shameful.

I get that - some people would not want an honour! But I think you'd know if they'd like an honour or not. I think too that its good to honour people who have done more than the job they are paid for. I wonder for instance why so many honours go to famous actors - if they are simply doing their job; if they do more e.g. for charity, thats different .

100%, as long as they would be happy with it. These people don't do it for the praise, they are just kind, beautiful people.

some people, who might get nominated, would absolutely hate it.

What I’d like to see are honours or rather some type of formal recognition given to local groups and organisations. I always thought it very touching that Malta was given a collective GC after the war. Picking out individuals is pretty haphazard and random.

one of the engineers had been given an MBE.
Annaram1 Most award recipients are usually too modest to mention the fact!
Thirteen years ago I was very pleased to receive my OBE for over 80 years loyal service to H.M.
Oh1 nearly forgot! "Over Bloody Eighty!"
OoRoo

It's a lovely thought that "ordinary" people get an honour for doing 'extraordinary" things. Doesn't happen often enough sadly.

In my home town two people were given awards in the New Years Honours for the community work they have done for years and how they had stepped that up due to Covid.

One lady I knew of as I'd volunteered with her in the past, both were really well deserved.

I don't really "get" the honours system. My friend's husband has just got an OBE which is related to his work. Out of interest I looked up his salary and tbh I thought he'd already been well rewarded for his service!

It is really hard to get someone "ordinary" to be considered for an honour. I interviewed someone on the pretext of doing a mini bio for our WI. I had lots of interesting facts about their volunteering and good deeds that the person had done. It was all documented and had supporting letters from the local clergy and other people of good office. It took almost three years for the nomination to get approved with lots of questions to be answered and when it came through it was one of the lowest awards. Forty five years of good deeds. Good luck with it.

It would be nice to replace the honours for people who are nominated just for doing the job they are paid to do (however well they do it) with honours for people who go above and beyond to do good and help others.

I worked in a large hospital for many years. One day it got around that one of the engineers had been given an MBE. I asked him what he got it for. He said it was because he had worked there for 30 years.

Where do you start? There are so many that, for whatever reason, have stepped up and helped out in many ways and I doubt if many did it for any reward.
I must admit though that I always think it's sad that so many of the recipient of awards are often well into advanced age before they get any recognition for what they have been doing quietly and with no fanfare.

Just think of someone you know who has been doing good things for others over a period of time - who has helped people who needed support for whatever reason. A neighbour? The post person? Someone who has created connection for others during the pandemic? A teacher or nurse? someone who has gone out of their way to help individuals or their community - "above and beyone the call of duty". The chap I nominated for an honour had involved his community in a charitable work which was of benefit to them and others. He and his wife were thrilled to go to Buckingham Palace to receive the award!

Lovely thought but where would you start? Have the country have been working behind the scenes to see us through!

You only see the famous who get awards. That is only the tip of the iceberg. Thousands are nominated and get awards. That is how it has always been....

I see what you mean Rufus - but I think it would not end up with an unwieldily mess of nominations because the committee which considers who gets an honour would focus on the most meritorious ones. At the moment I guess most nominations come from official bodies - civil service, or educational bodies and the like. I just thought it would be good to add more ''ordinary' people nominating 'ordinary' heroes!

Nice thought Applegran!
However, it would soon become an unwieldy mess of individual nominations and consequently the "face value" of an individual award would be dimiished!

What comes to my mind is that it would be a civil decoration and could awarded to embrace all the front-line workers, analogous to the awarding of the George Cross to Malta in WW2.
Just a thought!
OoRoo