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.
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.
“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 organisation is run by the registered charity Banburyshire Citizen Project, which was established in 2016. Those experiences helped lead him towards advice work, which he has been involved in since 2006, according to the charity’s website. 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.
Willis recognised a need for a dedicated advice service as local provision changed and deprivation affected parts of Banbury, according to the project’s account of its origins. 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. 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. 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.