ANDOVER was chosen to hold a special event by one of the best known scientists in the world.

Dr Jane Goodall, who is famous for her ground-breaking work with primates, decided to hold her educational charity Roots & Shoots International Day of Peace in the town on Friday.

Over 100 pupils, councillors, representatives and guests attended the parade in Harmony Woods, in which a giant peace dove took centre stage.

Dr Goodall was unable to attend as she had duties linked to her role as a UN Messenger of Peace, but she sent a video message thanking the town for its hard work.

She said: “I was so happy to hear that the town of Andover was holding the parade this year, and I especially want to thank the Andover Trees United team and all of the volunteers for organizing this special day.

“I wanted to thank the amazing Roots & Shoots schools, the teachers and all of you young people involved in making the doves and spreading the important message of peace and I want to thank the Lord Lieutenant’s office and the towns officials for all the support and understanding and I want to thank the residents of Andover and villages for participating.

“A special thank you goes to Wendy Davies. Wendy, you’ve been such a great supporter of roots and shoots and you’ve been tirelessly spreading the message for years so thank you.”

Wendy Davies of Andover Trees United has been working with children from schools across Andover to plant trees at Harmony Woods, a project which has received international recognition.

Town councillor Katherine Bird said: “If people want to see what Andover can do, they should look at Harmony Woods. Just see what’s going on there. It’s an amazing example of what community groups can do.”