'Local heroes' to be honoured by Brown

He called for a reshaping of the way honours are awarded to reflect the efforts of ordinary people faced with extraordinary situations, like the current floods crisis and recent terror attacks.

He said a campaign would be started to promote the concept of the 'Good Neighbour MBE'.

He wants more than half of all honours awarded to recognise services to the local community, up from 40 per cent now. Whitehall departments have been told to give more more awards to 'the unsung heroes of our villages, towns and cities'.

The move puts more distance between Tony Blair and his successor, who is keen to dissociate himself from the cash-forpeerages affair.

Mr Brown called for July 24 - 24/7 - to become an annual day to mark the round-the-clock work of volunteers and emergency workers.

The changes will be accompanied by a £515million increase in state funding for community groups, voluntary organisations and charities - what the Government calls 'the third sector' - over the coming three years.

Launching his book Britain's Everyday Heroes, which has been serialised this week in the Daily Mail, Mr Brown said: 'It is right that we look at how our honours system can recognise those in our emergency services and members of the public who showed such bravery and heroism in the face of the recent terrorist attacks and those who have worked in the last few weeks far beyond the call of duty in the recent floods.'

He continued: 'For future years, the aim will be for a significant majority of honours to go to local community leaders and champions who are making such a difference in local schools, local youth clubs, local hospitals, local charities and local faith groups throughout Britain.

'It is in these millions of quiet, often unheralded deeds of commitment and acts of humanity that never draw attention to themselves, that are unselfish, that we can see the greatness of Britain.

'And today we need these deeds, these strengths. Britain, as a changing society, faces serious challenges, from terrorism and security to environmental change, to the restructuring of the global economy in our country, and in that sense the British way of life is under pressure.

'But whether in peace or in war, Britain as a society is endlessly resilient, adaptive and never broken. And we know that we do best when we mobilise all the strengths of Britain - and most of all the strengths of our people.

'My belief is there is no weakness in Britain today that cannot be addressed and overcome by the strengths of Britain today.' Downing Street said it was too early to say whether July 24 would be made an extra bank holiday.