TWO children have won a competition to rename an indoor play area ahead of its grand reopening next month.

Escomb Primary School pupils Thomas Stones, nine, and Freya Fodden, seven, both came up with the name Scallywagz when the new owners of Shildon’s Play Shack launch the competition 10 days ago.

Business partners, Alan Barker and Chris Moody, took over the business, on the All Saints Industrial Estate, earlier this month after it closed unexpectedly when the previous owner ran into financial difficulty.

The 40-year-olds plan to reopen the business on August 1 and say they have transformed the space with new play equipment, kitchen and flooring.

They then asked the pupils at the school, near Bishop Auckland and Thornley Primary School, in Shildon, to come up with a new name.

And Freya and Thomas’ stood out from more than 60 entries.

Mr Barker said: “We had been looking through the names and that was the major one that stood out.”

Mr Barker said as a thank you for the name, the youngsters will be given free passes to the facility for the whole of the school holidays.

He added: “We are looking forward to opening - it’s exciting.”