Britain is full of inspirational stories.  The problem is that too few are taught in our schools.

The New Year and Queen’s Birthday Honours lists are packed with British heroes.  So are the Queen’s Awards for Enterprise.  Ditto the gallantry awards presented to members of the armed forces and emergency services.  The same is true of the Pride of Britain awards.  All of these awards enable us to recognise, congratulate and thank those who have made great contributions to our country.  This is right and proper but we should do more.  We should draw inspiration from our successes and use these stories to raise aspirations in our schools.

The recent account of how a British scientist won the Nobel Prize, of how a British soldier won the Military Cross or of how a British industrialist won the Queen’s Award for Enterprise could inspire young people to consider careers in scientific research, the armed forces or business.

The Honours Lists also include people whose contributions are less obvious.  The stories of hard-working public servants and of those who work in charities or in the voluntary sector will inspire many.  They will also demonstrate the important lesson that success and achievement are not always glamorous and that it is possible to make real and valuable contributions to society in seemingly small ways.

All of these stories could be of great use and we encourage schools to find and contact their own local heroes and ask them to help out.

When people think of heroes and inspirational personalities they too often think of historical figures.  Happily, there are many such inspirational people in modern Britain – teaching their stories in schools can help ensure that there are also plenty of heroes in tomorrow’s Britain.