Three winners have been announced in a competition held with local school children to rename the Merrywalks shopping centre in Stroud and give it a fresh new brand.

Hundreds of children from primary schools across the town entered the competition to rename the shopping centre, which is currently undergoing a major refurbishment project by South Yorkshire retail property experts Dransfield Properties.

The children were encouraged to research the history of Stroud and think of a new name which best represents the town.

The new name Five Valleys was chosen by Ivy Rooney aged 10, Archie Gittins aged 7 both from Rosary Catholic Primary School, and Amber Clements aged 7 from Callowell Primary School. The competition was judged by Managing Director of Dransfield Properties, Mark Dransfield and the Leader of Stroud District Council, Cllr Doina Cornell.

The prize giving ceremony was attended by both judges along with centre manager Dionne Moore, friends, family and school teachers to celebrate the occasion.

All three children received a certificate each and voucher's to spend with their families in Curio Lounge and Vue Cinema, Stroud.

Managing director of Dransfield Properties Mark Dransfield said: "We have thoroughly enjoyed working with the young people in the community on this very important project and I would like to congratulate Amber, Ivy and Archie again on their achievement and on picking out a fantastic new name for the rebrand of the shopping centre.

"We appreciate the importance of involving the local community in the developments on their doorsteps and we already have other exciting community project lined up for the very near future."

Cllr Cornell said: "Our young people have done a fantastic job of finding a name for the centre which really reflects the local community, well done to all three of them. We look forward to seeing the new brand and logo."

The redevelopment of the centre is supported by a £1 million loan and a £3 million grant from GFirst LEP working in partnership with Dransfield Properties.

David Owen CEO of GFirst LEP said. "We're delighted that Dransfield are engaging so much with the local community, particularly the younger generation and their families. It's an exciting time for Stroud.