Ricky Gervais and Peter Egan among first Jane Goodall Hope Award recipients

Ricky Gervais, Peter Egan and Dr Jill Robinson are the first recipients of an award in honour of the late environmental activist Dame Jane Goodall.

The conservationist, who was a world-leading expert on chimpanzee behaviour, died in October at the age of 91.

The Jane Goodall Hope Awards recognise recipients for their passion, courage and dedication which is transforming the future for animals, people and the planet.

Actor and comedian Gervais was among the stars to receive the award at the inaugural Jane Goodall Institute Hope Gala, which was held at the Peninsula London on Monday.

The 64-year-old is known for his stand-up career and co-creating, co-writing and starring in BBC sitcoms The Office, Extras and Life’s Too Short with Stephen Merchant.

Gervais is also an activist and philanthropist who has raised awareness for environmental causes and animal rights, having recently donated almost £2.5 million to a group of animal charities from the proceeds from his Mortality stand-up tour.

Actor and activist Peter Egan was also recognised at the gala and was among the first stars to be recognised for a Jane Goodall Hope Award for his work as an animal rights campaigner.

The Downton Abbey star is an ambassador and a patron for multiple animal welfare charities including Animals Asia, All Dogs Matter and Change For Animals, and is also an advocate for veganism.

The final recipient of the prize was Dr Robinson, who is the founder and chief executive officer of animal rights’ charity Animals Asia.

She was recognised at the ceremony for her activism, which has seen her spend 30 years campaigning to abolish the practice of bear bile farming – which entails extracting the substance from live bears for use in traditional Asian medicine.

Dr Robinson said she was “deeply honoured” to receive the award in honour of Dame Jane, who she called a “dear friend and mentor”.

She said: “Jane changed the world by showing us that animals think and feel – and that understanding them changes everything about how we protect them.

“But despite her enormous influence and legacy, Jane remained generous with her time, endlessly kind and had this rare gift of making you feel as though you had made a friend for life.

“Jane always carried the banner of hope and reminded us that if we want to heal this suffering world, we must never stop believing that change is possible.”

The gala was hosted by James Nesbitt and also featured special appearances from the Prince of Wales and Hollywood star Leonardo DiCaprio, who featured in pre-recorded videos.

The event was held to support the Jane Goodall Institute UK and Roots & Shoots UK, and also featured a live performance from Hold My Hand singer Jess Glynne, a live auction and a curated silent auction.

Dame Jane, whose research on chimpanzees was the longest field study ever undertaken of any group of animals in the wild, began her studies in Tanzania in 1960.

In 1977 she founded the Jane Goodall Institute, which works to protect chimpanzees and supports youth projects aimed at benefiting animals and the environment.