ACORN COACHING AND DEVELOPMENT LIMITED
🌳Matureactive
03037180 · ltd · incorporated 1995-03-23
Investment thesis
Well-run mature business — low negotiation leverage; premium likely.
Why interesting: Textbook target; clean filings, stable trading.
Why risky: No pressure on seller; any deal likely at full price.
Opportunity decay
approaching window · 12-months
Approaching a transaction window — refinance or sale event plausible in the next 12 months.
- · Oldest live charge 29.7y old — refinance window within 12 months
🔒Estimated value
—
Upgrade to see
Turnover
—
year to Mar 2025
Net worth
£28.7k
book net assets
Opportunity
83/100
Exceptional
What this business does
Primary activity: Management consultancy activities other than financial management
Sector: Professional, scientific & technical
Investor take
PursueAsset-holding vehicle with a 63-year-old founder — textbook succession opportunity.
Opportunity 83/100 (exceptional), bankability 85/100. Strong seller-intent signal (70/100, director aged 63). Share purchase looks the cleaner deal structure. Most likely exit: share sale to pe / searcher (65/100).
🏦
Refinance opportunity
1 live charge · oldest 29.7y
85/100
ready
Refinance conversation should be productive — structure clean and timing right.
- · Oldest live charge is 29.7 years old — likely at or near maturity.
- · Single lender — cleanest path to refinance.
- · Legal-friction score 15/100 — clean.
Data confidence
Overall: medium (77/100)Adequate coverage. AI outputs are reliable for the sections scored high; verify the rest in diligence.
Company profile
address, 1 SIC codes, incorporation date
100
Financials
2 years of iXBRL accounts extracted (YoY deltas available) + narrative notes parsed
75
Lenders & charges
1 charges (1/1 with lender, 1/1 with type)
90
Directors & officers
7 officers (3 active, 7 linked, 3 with DOB)
79
Ownership & PSC
2 active PSC(s) of 2 total, 2 with control declared
90
Director network
Network not yet resolved
30
Filing history
100 filings on record
85
Gazette notices
No matching gazette notices (standard for active companies)
60
Opportunity Score
83/100Exceptional
PassWatchWorth a lookStrongExceptional
Strong composite across quality, acquirability, and risk. High-priority target — progress to serious diligence.
Business quality
70
Active, clean filings, stable charge profile.
Acquirability
85
Strong succession / seller-readiness signals.
Risk profile
85
Few red flags.
Signal strength
100
Good data coverage for analysis.
Signals from accounts
Derived from iXBRL accounts · accounting standard not declaredPositive net assets
Net assets £28,665
Key financials
2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accountsCash
—
Net Worth
£29k
↑ 133% YoY
Current Assets
£113k
↑ 56% YoY
Current Liabilities
—
Hover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series
Financials
Extracted from Companies House accounts · accounting standard unknown| Metric | 2025-03-31 | 2024-03-31 |
|---|---|---|
| Total assets | £30.8k | £17.9k |
| Current assets | £113.2k | £72.4k |
| Net assets | £28.7k | £12.3k |
Amounts extracted automatically from iXBRL. Fields left blank were not reported or not mapped. Values in GBP unless stated.
🔒Filing-note intelligence
1 signal detected in this company's narrative notes — going-concern language, audit opinion, contingent liabilities, related-party transactions.
Available from the Pro tier upwards.
See pricing →Recent activity
Last 30 days
0
filings
Last 90 days
1
filing
- • 1 confirmation-statement
Last 180 days
1
filing
- • 1 confirmation-statement
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (33 events)Click to expand
- 2025-11-24📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2024-12-20📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2024-12-17📄second-filing-of-confirmation-statement-with-made-up-dateconfirmation-statement · RP04CS01
- 2024-12-17📄second-filing-of-confirmation-statement-with-made-up-dateconfirmation-statement · RP04CS01
- 2024-12-17📄second-filing-of-confirmation-statement-with-made-up-dateconfirmation-statement · RP04CS01
- 2024-12-17📄second-filing-of-confirmation-statement-with-made-up-dateconfirmation-statement · RP04CS01
- 2024-12-16📄second-filing-of-confirmation-statement-with-made-up-dateconfirmation-statement · RP04CS01
- 2024-04-04📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2024-04-04📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2024-04-04📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2024-04-04📄change-person-secretary-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH03
- 2024-03-07📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2024-03-07📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2023-10-13📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2023-05-03📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2022-09-21📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2021-12-01📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2020-12-04📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2020-10-22📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2018-04-06➕LONGNEY-MITCHELL, Philippa Louise appointeddirector
- 2015-03-26🔓Charge satisfied #1
- 2009-09-30➕LONGNEY, Claire Louise appointedsecretary
- 2009-09-30➖DULSON, Colin Richard resignedsecretary
- 2009-09-30➖DULSON, Colin Richard resigneddirector
- 1996-09-27🔒Charge registered #1Lender: Barclays Bank PLC
- 1995-04-06➕LONGNEY, Keith Graeme appointeddirector
- 1995-04-06➕DULSON, Colin Richard appointedsecretary
- 1995-04-06➖WATERLOW SECRETARIES LIMITED resignedcorporate-nominee-secretary
- 1995-04-06➕DULSON, Colin Richard appointeddirector
- 1995-04-06➖WATERLOW NOMINEES LIMITED resignedcorporate-nominee-director
- 1995-03-23🏢Company incorporatedAs ACORN COACHING AND DEVELOPMENT LIMITED
- 1995-03-23➕WATERLOW SECRETARIES LIMITED appointedcorporate-nominee-secretary
- 1995-03-23➕WATERLOW NOMINEES LIMITED appointedcorporate-nominee-director
Owner dependency
76/100
High — earn-out structure requiredMaterial founder dependency. Consider a 2-3 year earn-out and build in a handover plan before completion.
FACTORS
- +Two-director setup: Only two active directors — typical of owner-managed SMEs but limits succession.
- +Long-tenure founder: Senior director has been in place 31 years — deep operational knowledge concentrated in one person.
- +Senior director age: Director aged approximately 63 — approaching natural succession window.
Succession & seller-readiness
86/100
Likely off-market candidateStrong acquirability signals converging. Worth approaching directly — this is how off-market deals start.
SIGNALS
- primaryFounder aged 63+: Senior director is approximately 63. Approaching typical UK retirement age — succession thinking likely.
- secondaryTwo-director governance: Small-team governance. Succession depth is thin but not absent.
- primary20+ year tenure: Director in role 31 years. Very long tenure is a classic succession signal.
- secondaryStable-but-static management: Company is 31 years old and no new directors in the last 3 years — succession not yet being planned internally.
- supportingClean filings + long tenure: Disciplined long-tenure operator — classic lifestyle-business pattern that often sells quietly.
Red flags
cleanNo red flags detected from available public data. (This is not a clean bill of health — detailed accounts review still recommended.)
Shareholders & ownership
2 active beneficial owners| Name | Shares | Voting rights | Nature of control | Notified |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Mr Keith Graeme Longney Individual · British · DOB 01/1963 · age 63 | 25–50% | 25–50% | 25-50% shares · 25-50% voting | 06/04/2016 |
Mrs Claire Louise Longney Individual · British · DOB 03/1965 · age 61 | 25–50% | 25–50% | 25-50% shares · 25-50% voting | 06/04/2016 |
From Companies House Persons with Significant Control filings. Share ranges are banded per the public PSC regime.
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| AM & ASSOCIATES LTD.→ 07684984 · est 2011 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 14y | — | — |
| AM 3D DESIGN CONSULTANTS LTD→ 13626717 · est 2021 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 4y | — | — |
| AMANDA ASKEW LTD→ 16506433 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Peers ranked by estimated value, then turnover, then opportunity score.See all →
🔒Tailored diligence questions
6 specific questions generated from this company's actual signals — liquidity, leverage, director age, charge count, red flags, age-of-company.
Available from the Pro tier upwards.
See pricing →🔒Advanced scoring suite
Exit-route ranking, improvement thesis, quiet-distress detector, covenant-pressure proxy, extraction monitor, approaching triggers, ownership drift, local cluster, value trap, debt capacity, archetype classification — 48+ scoring modules.
Available from the Pro tier upwards.
See pricing →Company details
Statusactive
Typeltd
Incorporated1995-03-23
Jurisdictionengland-wales
Primary SIC70229 — Management consultancy activities other than financial management
Registered office
Wildman House
127 Highgate
Kendal
Cumbria
LA9 4EN
England
Filing status
Accounts
Next due: 2026-12-31
Last made up to: 2025-03-31
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2027-04-18
Last: 2026-04-04
Officers (3 active · 4 resigned)
LONGNEY, Claire Louise→
Activesecretary · appointed 2009-09-30
View their other companies + combined net worth →
LONGNEY, Keith Graeme→
Activedirector · ~63y · appointed 1995-04-06
View their other companies + combined net worth →
LONGNEY-MITCHELL, Philippa Louise→
Activedirector · ~33y · appointed 2018-04-06
View their other companies + combined net worth →
DULSON, Colin Richard→
Resignedsecretary · appointed 1995-04-06 · resigned 2009-09-30
WATERLOW SECRETARIES LIMITED→
Resignedcorporate-nominee-secretary · appointed 1995-03-23 · resigned 1995-04-06
DULSON, Colin Richard→
Resigneddirector · ~64y · appointed 1995-04-06 · resigned 2009-09-30
WATERLOW NOMINEES LIMITED→
Resignedcorporate-nominee-director · appointed 1995-03-23 · resigned 1995-04-06
Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.
Mortgages & charges
1
Total charges
0
Outstanding
0
Active lenders
Status:Lender:1 of 1 shown
| Type | Properties | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| satisfied | Barclays Barclays Bank PLC | Debenture | 1 property | 27/09/1996 | 26/03/2015 |
Recent filings (100 total)
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2026-04-09
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2025-11-24
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-04-07
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2024-12-20
second-filing-of-confirmation-statement-with-made-up-date
confirmation-statement · RP04CS01
2024-12-17
second-filing-of-confirmation-statement-with-made-up-date
confirmation-statement · RP04CS01
2024-12-17
second-filing-of-confirmation-statement-with-made-up-date
confirmation-statement · RP04CS01
2024-12-17
second-filing-of-confirmation-statement-with-made-up-date
confirmation-statement · RP04CS01
2024-12-17
second-filing-of-confirmation-statement-with-made-up-date
confirmation-statement · RP04CS01
2024-12-16
confirmation-statement
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-04-04
change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
2024-04-04
change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
2024-04-04
change-person-director-company-with-change-date
officers · CH01
2024-04-04
change-person-secretary-company-with-change-date
officers · CH03
2024-04-04
change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
2024-03-07