COLETHROP FARM LIMITED

🌳Matureactive
03329992 · ltd · incorporated 1997-03-07
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
hardening · 12-months
Already tight — no obvious softening catalysts on the horizon.
  • · Thesis: well-run, low negotiation leverage
🔒Estimated value
—
Upgrade to see
Turnover
—
year to Sept 2025
Net worth
£13.30M
book net assets
Opportunity
83/100
Exceptional
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What this business does
Primary activity: Growing of cereals (except rice), leguminous crops and oil seeds
Sector: Agriculture, forestry & fishing
Investor take
Pursue
Active trading company with a 78-year-old founder — textbook succession opportunity.

Opportunity 83/100 (exceptional), bankability 80/100. Strong seller-intent signal (63/100, director aged 78). Share purchase looks the cleaner deal structure. Biggest value-creation lever: Cash flow review and working-capital discipline. Cash down -36% YoY — forensic review of receivables, stock turns, and creditor days. Most likely exit: share sale to pe / searcher (65/100).

🏦

Refinance opportunity

3 live charges · oldest 26.9y

45/100
under pressure

Refinance would be pressure-driven, not opportunity-driven. Expect tighter margins and covenant scrutiny.

  • · Oldest live charge is 26.9 years old — likely at or near maturity.
  • · Single lender — cleanest path to refinance.
  • · Cashflow trend is negative — lender view likely cautious.

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
3 charges (3/3 with lender, 3/3 with type)
90
Directors & officers
12 officers (5 active, 12 linked, 7 with DOB)
82
Ownership & PSC
2 active PSC(s) of 2 total, 2 with control declared
90
Director network
Network not yet resolved
30
Filing history
107 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 declared
Positive net assets
Net assets £13,301,191
Net assets shrinking
Down £344,010 YoY
Cash YoY
-36%
Year on year

Key financials

2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accounts
Cash
£97k
↓ 36% YoY
Net Worth
£13m
↓ 2.5% YoY
Current Assets
£896k
↑ 71% YoY
Current Liabilities
—
£0£2.7m£5.5m£8.2m£11m£14mSept 2024Sept 2025

Hover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series

Financials

Extracted from Companies House accounts · accounting standard unknown
Metric2025-09-302024-09-30
Total assets£16.46M£16.83M
Current assets£895.9k£524.6k
Cash£96.6k£151.4k
Debtors£583.2k£261.7k
Net assets£13.30M£13.65M

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 accounts
Last 180 days
3
filings
  • • 1 accounts
  • • 1 confirmation-statement
  • • 1 persons-with-significant-control
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (40 events)Click to expand
  1. 2026-06-30
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  2. 2026-03-19
    📄
    notification-of-a-person-with-significant-control
    persons-with-significant-control · PSC01
  3. 2025-06-26
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  4. 2024-10-10
    📄
    appoint-person-director-company-with-name-date
    officers · AP01
  5. 2024-10-10
    📄
    termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date
    officers · TM01
  6. 2024-08-08
    ➕
    MOSELEY, Patrick David appointed
    director
  7. 2024-06-27
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  8. 2024-04-01
    ➖
    STRINGER, Malcolm Gordon resigned
    director
  9. 2023-06-21
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  10. 2022-06-29
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  11. 2021-06-28
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  12. 2021-03-31
    📄
    termination-secretary-company-with-name-termination-date
    officers · TM02
  13. 2021-03-25
    📄
    appoint-person-secretary-company-with-name-date
    officers · AP03
  14. 2021-03-08
    ➕
    SHIELDS, Nigel Paul appointed
    secretary
  15. 2021-03-08
    ➖
    HEYWOOD, Marcus Beresford resigned
    secretary
  16. 2020-09-30
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  17. 2020-02-21
    📄
    appoint-person-director-company-with-name-date
    officers · AP01
  18. 2020-02-10
    ➕
    MUNRO FAURE, Paul Wilion appointed
    director
  19. 2019-12-17
    📄
    termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date
    officers · TM01
  20. 2019-12-15
    ➖
    HAMILTON, Timothy David resigned
    director
  21. 2019-06-28
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  22. 2019-03-14
    📄
    change-person-director-company-with-change-date
    officers · CH01
  23. 2018-11-20
    📄
    change-account-reference-date-company-previous-extended
    accounts · AA01
  24. 2014-01-28
    🔒
    Charge registered #3
    Lender: Barclays Bank PLC
  25. 2014-01-28
    🔒
    Charge registered #2
    Lender: Barclays Bank PLC
  26. 2011-01-01
    ➖
    MUNRO FAURE, Paul Wilion resigned
    director
  27. 2010-11-29
    ➕
    DAVENPORT, Olivia Anne appointed
    director
  28. 2005-07-01
    ➕
    STRINGER, Malcolm Gordon appointed
    director
  29. 2000-12-12
    ➕
    HEYWOOD, Marcus Beresford appointed
    secretary
  30. 2000-12-12
    ➖
    WALSINGHAM, Mark resigned
    secretary
  31. 1999-12-01
    ➕
    HAMILTON, Timothy David appointed
    director
  32. 1999-12-01
    ➕
    MUNRO FAURE, Paul Wilion appointed
    director
  33. 1999-08-31
    🔒
    Charge registered #1
    Lender: Barclays Bank PLC
  34. 1997-06-20
    ➕
    HEYWOOD, Marcus Beresford appointed
    director
  35. 1997-06-20
    ➕
    WALSINGHAM, Mark appointed
    secretary
  36. 1997-06-20
    ➖
    NQH (CO SEC) LIMITED resigned
    corporate-nominee-secretary
  37. 1997-06-20
    ➖
    NQH LIMITED resigned
    corporate-nominee-director
  38. 1997-03-07
    🏢
    Company incorporated
    As COLETHROP FARM LIMITED
  39. 1997-03-07
    ➕
    NQH (CO SEC) LIMITED appointed
    corporate-nominee-secretary
  40. 1997-03-07
    ➕
    NQH LIMITED appointed
    corporate-nominee-director

Owner dependency

65/100
High — earn-out structure required

Material founder dependency. Consider a 2-3 year earn-out and build in a handover plan before completion.

FACTORS
  • -4 active directors: Broader management team in place — suggests transferable governance.
  • +Long-tenure founder: Senior director has been in place 29 years — deep operational knowledge concentrated in one person.
  • +Founder age: Director aged approximately 78 — succession pressure is live.

Succession & seller-readiness

80/100
Likely off-market candidate

Strong acquirability signals converging. Worth approaching directly — this is how off-market deals start.

SIGNALS
  • primaryFounder aged 70+: Senior director is approximately 78 years old. Natural succession window is now.
  • primary20+ year tenure: Director in role 29 years. Very long tenure is a classic succession signal.
  • supportingClean filings + long tenure: Disciplined long-tenure operator — classic lifestyle-business pattern that often sells quietly.

Red flags

clean
No 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 · dominant holder ≥75%
NameSharesVoting rightsNature of controlNotified
Mrs Olivia Anne Davenport
Individual · British · DOB 02/1980 · age 46
75–100%
—75-100% shares · trust interest25/11/2025
Mr Marcus Beresford Heywood
Individual · British · DOB 11/1948 · age 78
50–75%
—50-75% shares06/04/2016

From Companies House Persons with Significant Control filings. Share ranges are banded per the public PSC regime.

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———————
Peers ranked by estimated value, then turnover, then opportunity score.See all →
🔒Tailored diligence questions

8 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
Incorporated1997-03-07
Jurisdictionengland-wales
Primary SIC01110 — Growing of cereals (except rice), leguminous crops and oil seeds

Registered office

C/O Woodward Hale
38 Dollar Street
Cirencester
Gloucestershire
GL7 2AN

Filing status

Accounts
Next due: 2027-06-30
Last made up to: 2025-09-30
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2027-03-21
Last: 2026-03-07

Officers (5 active · 7 resigned)

SHIELDS, Nigel Paul→
secretary · appointed 2021-03-08
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
DAVENPORT, Olivia Anne→
director · ~46y · appointed 2010-11-29
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
HEYWOOD, Marcus Beresford→
director · ~78y · appointed 1997-06-20
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
MOSELEY, Patrick David→
director · ~42y · appointed 2024-08-08
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
MUNRO FAURE, Paul Wilion→
director · ~71y · appointed 2020-02-10
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
HEYWOOD, Marcus Beresford→
secretary · appointed 2000-12-12 · resigned 2021-03-08
Resigned
WALSINGHAM, Mark→
secretary · appointed 1997-06-20 · resigned 2000-12-12
Resigned
NQH (CO SEC) LIMITED→
corporate-nominee-secretary · appointed 1997-03-07 · resigned 1997-06-20
Resigned
HAMILTON, Timothy David→
director · ~75y · appointed 1999-12-01 · resigned 2019-12-15
Resigned
MUNRO FAURE, Paul Wilion→
director · ~71y · appointed 1999-12-01 · resigned 2011-01-01
Resigned
STRINGER, Malcolm Gordon→
director · ~83y · appointed 2005-07-01 · resigned 2024-04-01
Resigned
NQH LIMITED→
corporate-nominee-director · appointed 1997-03-07 · resigned 1997-06-20
Resigned

Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.

Mortgages & charges

3
Total charges
3
Outstanding
1
Active lenders
Status:Lender:3 of 3 shown
TypeProperties
outstanding
Barclays
Barclays Bank PLC
A registered charge1 property28/01/2014—
outstanding
Barclays
Barclays Bank PLC
A registered charge1 property28/01/2014—
outstanding
Barclays
Barclays Bank PLC
Charge and assignment over milk quota by the company and juliet mary heywood-browne, catherine mary heywood and marcus beresford heywood1 property31/08/1999—
Click column headers to sort. Use filters above to narrow by status and lender.

Recent filings (107 total)

accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2026-06-30
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2026-03-20
notification-of-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC01
2026-03-19
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2025-06-26
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-03-10
appoint-person-director-company-with-name-date
officers · AP01
2024-10-10
termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date
officers · TM01
2024-10-10
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2024-06-27
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-03-11
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2023-06-21
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-03-21
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2022-06-29
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-03-16
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2021-06-28
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2021-04-12