TONIGHT is the night when more than 100 of the country’s biggest stars unite to honour the most remarkable people of the year – our nation’s unsung heroes.

The Daily Mirror’s Pride of Britain Awards sponsored by Littlewoods.com, is back and is bigger than ever.

Hosted by Carol Vorderman, the annual glittering ceremony marks its 12th year with a star-studded gala at the Grosvenor House on London’s Park Lane tonight which will be televised at 8pm on Wednesday on ITV1 in a two-hour special.

The event, sponsored by Littlewoods.com, was the highest rated awards show on British TV last year, beating the Brits, Baftas and even the Oscars.

HRH Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall will attend the awards for the first time to mark the 10th anniversary of the Prince’s Trust Young Achiever Award, as well as the launch of a new category – the Littlewoods.com Young Fundraiser of the Year.

The winners are from all walks of life, all ages and from all over the country.

Sir David Jason is seen flying to Afghanistan to meet members of the armed forces and honour the brave bomb disposal officers who put their lives on the line to save others.

Marking the 70th anniversary of the Battle of Britain, the Last of The Few RAF heroes – including Spitfire and Hurricane pilots who are now in their 90s – reunite to receive special recognition for their valour.

Winners also include a schoolgirl who saved three children from being killed in a fireball and a 12-year-old boy who raised £100,000 for sick children as he made more than 900 hospital visits to treat his own illness.

Carol Vorderman – who will be 50 on Christmas Eve – has welcomed hundreds of winners since Pride of Britain began in 1999 and she says they all have one thing in common – their modesty. “They always think all the other winners are amazing and that they shouldn’t really be there,” she says.