There are now 60 million people living in the UK, Britain, whatever you wish to call it. And most of those people are honest, decent, hardworking, funny, caring and beautiful. Some of those people are so extraordinary, they are National Treasures. Assets to be recognised and valued.

In much the same way that we do all we can to sing the praises of our favorite buildings and institutions, we should take a moment to thank those around us who make the country a better place to live.

This is not a Little Englander, Daily Mail, we're better than everybody else, so we'll boo your national anthem halfwit site. Britain is not the greatest country in the world - how could there be such a concept. It is an attempt to get away from the cynicism which we are all guilty of sometimes, and relish the good in the country.

There are very poor aspects of our country, and many things that would improve for the want of only a little effort and understanding. If we took more notice of the people celebrated in this website, and embraced their contributions to our culture, health and philosophies, we would make this country a more harmonious, efficient, and heart-warming place in which to spend our lives, and bring up our children.

This site is an arena for those of us who wish to nominate these National Treasures. It is open to all of you, and all you need to do is tell us who you wish to bring to our attention, with a short paragraph as to why. We even have a current chart rundown! You can vote for your own nominees, or for people already nominated, and the results will be constantly updated to provide a silly and gloriously pointless hit-parade of British loveliness.

Nominees only have one necessary qualification - they have to live here, most of the time. So if you wish to see Madonna or Richard Dreyfuss on these pages, hurrah & quite right too. Also, while people in the public eye will provide many of the nominees, if you wish to nominate your Mum or your favorite dustman, hurrah & quite right too, too.

We have a system of patronage in this country in the form of Honours handed down by the Government - Knighthoods, MBEs, OBEs etc. I think it's time that a bit of democracy was added to the fun and frolics. At the end of each year, we will be declaring our National Treasure of the Year, based on what you have told us about the people who make you smile, and proud to reside on the same group of rocks.