Andy Willis, a community campaigner who has spent 25 years volunteering and supporting people through difficult circumstances, has won a national award recognising his contribution to vulnerable individuals and families in Banburyshire, England.
Willis was named the winner of the Community Shining Star Award (20+) at the Dyslexia Awards 2026, held in Telford on October 17, according to the official awards website and local newspaper Banbury Guardian.Known locally as the “People’s Champion”, Willis was recognised for his work as founder, patron and Head of Information, Advice and Wellbeing at Banburyshire Advice Centre. His voluntary work spans 25 years, including around two decades dedicated specifically to advice services that help people understand and access the support available to them.“I am absolutely thrilled and deeply humbled to receive this award,” Willis told Banbury Guardian. He said the recognition reflected the work of the advice centre and the resilience of the local community. “Being dyslexic has never stopped me from wanting to make a difference and I hope this inspires others to see that neurodiversity is a strength,” he added.The Community Shining Star Award, sponsored by Bespoke Computing Ltd, recognises adults aged 20 and above whose work has made a meaningful difference in their communities.
The Dyslexia Awards, founded in 2015 by Elizabeth Wilkinson MBE, aim to celebrate the abilities, achievements and contributions of dyslexic people while challenging misconceptions about the condition.
Helping people navigate the benefits system
Willis’s work focuses on a problem that can be difficult for people already facing financial or personal hardship: understanding which support they qualify for and navigating the forms and procedures required to access it.
Banburyshire Advice Centre is an independent charity that provides guidance on benefits and general advice. Its volunteers help people complete benefit applications, while the centre can also issue foodbank vouchers to those in need.
Its services include career guidance and tax advice for older people.The centre serves communities across Oxfordshire, Northamptonshire, Warwickshire and Buckinghamshire.
Its work is particularly relevant to residents who may struggle to navigate complex systems or identify the assistance available to them. The organisation is run by the registered charity Banburyshire Citizen Project, which was established in 2016. According to the project’s account of its origins, Willis recognised a need for a dedicated advice service as local provision changed and deprivation affected parts of Banbury.The charity says it has also produced reports on social deprivation for Parliament and raised issues affecting its clients with local and national decision-makers.
From court service to community support
Willis’s route into advice work began after he worked in the County Court Service as a court usher and administrator. He later moved into education, teaching children, teenagers and adults, where he encountered the difficulties families faced when dealing with food insecurity and bereavement.
Those experiences helped lead him towards advice work, which he has been involved in since 2006, according to the charity’s website.He subsequently volunteered with organisations including the Banbury Benefits Advice Project and Age UK Oxfordshire. At Age UK, he spent nearly a decade helping older people deal with practical and emotional challenges involving finances, welfare and heating.His wider voluntary work has included supporting the MS Society, Contact the Elderly and the Workers’ Educational Association.
He also campaigned on issues involving mental health, disability and older people for organisations including Mind, Leonard Cheshire and the Alzheimer’s Society.In recognition of his community work, Willis received the British Citizen Award at the Palace of Westminster in January 2019. The Open University also awarded him an honorary Master’s degree in 2019 for his services to society and charity. In 2020, he received the UK government’s Points of Light award, which recognises outstanding individual volunteers.The government’s award profile said Willis had raised more than £60,000 to establish the Banburyshire Citizen Project and more than £20,000 for the Workers’ Educational Association. It also highlighted the advice centre’s telephone support during the Covid-19 pandemic, when residents needed guidance on issues including furlough, redundancy and benefits.In 2022, Willis was named Supporter of the Year by mental health charity Rethink Mental Illness for his campaigning and work helping people with mental health difficulties access disability benefits.
Challenging stereotypes about dyslexia
The latest award also puts the spotlight on Willis’s message that dyslexia should not be seen only in terms of the challenges it can create. He has spoken about wanting other dyslexic and neurodivergent people to recognise their abilities and pursue their ambitions.The Dyslexia Awards describe their mission as celebrating the skills and achievements of dyslexic people across fields including the arts, entrepreneurship, innovation, science and community service.
Their Community Shining Star category recognises people whose contributions have had a positive impact beyond their own professional or personal lives.For Willis, the recognition comes after years of work supporting residents through financial pressures, disability-related challenges and other difficult circumstances. The award also acknowledges the contribution of the volunteers and colleagues who help deliver the advice centre’s services.