The honours celebrate those from all walks of life who have dedicated a vast amount of their own lives to the betterment of those of others. It’s a quality that seems increasingly rare. Perhaps we should be celebrating it more than ever given we are often oblivious to a bigger picture, a bigger drive for good, when so many of us are lost to our own demands of work, family, work and family.

Take hairdresser Jill Lauder, 53, from Grangemouth, who runs free pamper sessions for women with cancer at her salon Lady J’s. Today, she said she didn't feel ‘worthy’ of her British Empire Medal (BEM), no doubt because she simply does what she does because she cares.

Meanwhile, Liz Tait, from Lossiemouth, who works in clinical governance at NHS Grampian, has been recognised for her life of volunteering with a BEM for helping the British Red Cross get people out of Sudan. For Ms Tait, her honour merely reflects the importance in getting people the right support at the worst of times.

At the heart of high honour, the extremely humbling can often be found.

The honours can simply remind us about the very best in people