This is the 20th anniversary of the Pride of Britain Awards – and we have never needed it more. Our country stands divided, our politics paralysed, and our future shrouded in uncertainty.
So, what a moment to pause and witness the best of Britain, to remember what we have in common, and to feel pride in the acts of quiet heroism that tell us who we really are.
For two decades, showbiz and actual royalty have come to these awards to watch as everyday heroes take the limelight.
Last night was no exception.
From the unthinking and unflinching courage of two men who jumped in to rescue the passengers of a burning plane, to the policewoman who tackled an armed man, 2019 has been a vintage year for heroism.
Nine-year-old Aaron Hunter is desperately ill with the rare Rohhad syndrome, but was determined not to miss his big night and collected his award from Cheryl Tweedy.
Aaron has raised millions in memory of his friend Luca by getting celebrities to jump in muddy puddles – because he himself no longer can.
The Special Recognition award went to Margaret Walker who, at 80, sums up everything Pride of Britain stands for. She is a speech therapist who developed Makaton, a visual language which has transformed the lives of millions of people with communication difficulties.
A million people now use Makaton in the UK alone – including now the star-studded Pride of Britain audience, who used it to thank her.
“I never had a thought it would go outside a hospital 50 years ago,” she admitted, modestly, on stage.
“I was trying to do my little thing as a speech and language therapist and a child bit my arm. I thought, ‘I wonder if I try adding some sign language to a few key words,’ and it was like switching a light on, it was amazing.”
Meanwhile, at 72, Dame Elizabeth Anionwu is also an inspiration. After a childhood scarred by racism and violent abuse in homes run by Catholic nuns, she has gone on to become Emeritus Professor of Nursing at the University of West London.
In 2016, she led the campaign for a statue of black nurse Mary Seacole, the first public statue of a named black woman in the UK, earning our Lifetime Achievement award.
Over 20 years, the roll of Pride of Britain winners has always told us something about our times.
Go back to the modest, untelevised first ceremony of 1999, attended by PM Tony Blair , and the heroes included Michael McInally, a bus driver who drove into the aftermath of the Omagh bomb to ferry injured people to hospital, carrying them in his arms.
Awards were also won by Donna Marie Keyes, 23, who survived the bomb to make it to her wedding, and the late Mo Mowlam, the politician at the heart of the peace process.
It is a poignant reminder of what we could lose now, when peace in Northern Ireland feels on the brink.
The other most memorable winners of 1999 were the tireless campaigners Doreen and Neville Lawrence, after the MacPherson Report into their son Stephen’s death had found the Met Police guilty of institutional racism.
The winners have humbled us all so many times, over so many years. Malala Yousafzai, the young education activist who survived an assassination attempt by the Taliban.
The Hillsborough and Grenfell families. Survivors and heroes of the Manchester terror attack.
The dashing heroes of the actual Battle of Britain, their eyes still bright with laughter.
And who could forget the moment in 2003 our awards honoured “British Schindler”, Sir Nicolas Winton, who saved 669 children’s lives.
The stage slowly filled with their descendants, people only alive because of his heroic actions during the Holocaust.
Led by host Carol Vorderman, who in 20 years has not lost the knack of making the most terrified winner feel at home, Pride of Britain has given every one of these extraordinary people the recognition they deserve – even the team of British scientists who invented Viagra.
Taking a back seat, the celebrities who present awards and form the audience once again included some huge names.
Janet Jackson, Gareth Southgate, Ken Loach, Michael Sheen, Cheryl Tweedy, Simon Cowell and the cast of Strictly were on the red carpet. And Prince Charles continued the 20-year partnership between Pride of Britain and The Prince’s Trust. This year, as the homeless crisis reaches even more shaming heights, Josh Littlejohn and Alice Thompson won a Special Recognition award for Social Bite, which helps the homeless through its cafes and a unique village.
In two years, their Sleep in the Park fundraising initiative has gone global – with 50,000 people expected to sleep out in 50 cities this year.
Sgt Stevie Bull, 28, collected the This Morning Emergency Services Award after she tackled a gunman at University College Hospital in London.
It’s also the unseen things that mean so much, like the effort made by 11-year-old Dante Marvin, who suffers from an agonising bone condition, to be at the awards ceremony at all. And, if anyone sums up 20 years of Pride of Britain, it is Joel Snarr, an Army veteran with PTSD, who ran towards a burning plane and helped Daniel Nicholson, a retail manager, drag three people to safety.
Because of the brave actions of this ex-bomb disposal officer and Daniel, three people, including two teenagers, were saved from a fireball.
But Joel’s recovery has been set back by his heroism, so much so that he could not make it to London to collect his Outstanding Bravery award.
For 20 years, the Daily Mirror has been bringing you the Pride of Britain Awards in partnership with TSB because of men like Joel, kids like Aaron and women like Margaret. People who could be any of us – but, when their moment came, showed they were the best any of us can be.
Pride of Britain is not about inspiring us to run towards burning planes, but about showing us how our country is full of decent, caring, selfless people – and the difference that we can all make in the world.
For 20 years, the Daily Mirror has been putting the pride back in Britain. It’s a job we will always be proud to do.
