HEREWARD FARMS LIMITED

🌳Matureactive
03402600 · ltd · incorporated 1997-07-11
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
—
not disclosed
Net worth
—
book net assets
Opportunity
81/100
Exceptional
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What this business does
Primary activity: SIC 01130
Sector: Agriculture, forestry & fishing
Investor take
Pursue
Active trading company with a 88-year-old founder — textbook succession opportunity.

Opportunity 81/100 (exceptional), bankability 75/100. Strong seller-intent signal (63/100, director aged 88). Share purchase looks the cleaner deal structure. Most likely exit: share sale to pe / searcher (65/100).

Data confidence

Overall: medium (56/100)

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
No iXBRL financials extracted
0
Lenders & charges
Confirmed no charges registered
85
Directors & officers
9 officers (4 active, 9 linked, 6 with DOB)
83
Ownership & PSC
1 active PSC(s) of 1 total, 1 with control declared
90
Director network
1 connected companies via shared directors
48
Filing history
89 filings on record
85
Gazette notices
No matching gazette notices (standard for active companies)
60
Opportunity Score
81/100Exceptional
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
90
Good data coverage for analysis.

Recent activity

Last 30 days
2
filings
  • • 1 accounts
  • • 1 confirmation-statement
Last 90 days
3
filings
  • • 1 accounts
  • • 1 confirmation-statement
  • • 1 persons-with-significant-control
Last 180 days
3
filings
  • • 1 accounts
  • • 1 confirmation-statement
  • • 1 persons-with-significant-control
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (30 events)Click to expand
  1. 2026-07-25
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  2. 2026-05-13
    📄
    change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
    persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
  3. 2025-06-17
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  4. 2024-07-07
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  5. 2023-09-13
    📍
    change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-address
    address · AD01
  6. 2023-07-03
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  7. 2023-05-15
    📍
    change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-address
    address · AD01
  8. 2022-08-30
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  9. 2021-08-09
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  10. 2020-10-07
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  11. 2019-07-22
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  12. 2018-10-23
    ➖
    WEBBERLEY, Nicola Margaret resigned
    director
  13. 2018-10-23
    📄
    termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date
    officers · TM01
  14. 2018-10-19
    📄
    termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date
    officers · TM01
  15. 2018-09-29
    ➖
    ASHFIELD, Philip John Christopher resigned
    director
  16. 2018-07-02
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  17. 2017-09-25
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  18. 2011-10-03
    ➕
    ASHFIELD MCQUILLIN, Melanie Kate appointed
    director
  19. 2011-10-03
    ➕
    BARNES, Catherine appointed
    director
  20. 2011-10-03
    ➕
    WEBBERLEY, Nicola Margaret appointed
    director
  21. 2009-09-11
    ➖
    ASHFIELD, Gerald William resigned
    director
  22. 1997-10-09
    ➕
    SCULLEY, Jennifer Mary appointed
    secretary
  23. 1997-10-09
    ➕
    ASHFIELD, Michael Antony Frank appointed
    director
  24. 1997-10-09
    ➖
    NQH (CO SEC) LIMITED resigned
    corporate-nominee-secretary
  25. 1997-10-09
    ➕
    ASHFIELD, Gerald William appointed
    director
  26. 1997-10-09
    ➕
    ASHFIELD, Philip John Christopher appointed
    director
  27. 1997-10-09
    ➖
    NQH LIMITED resigned
    corporate-nominee-director
  28. 1997-07-11
    🏢
    Company incorporated
    As HEREWARD FARMS LIMITED
  29. 1997-07-11
    ➕
    NQH (CO SEC) LIMITED appointed
    corporate-nominee-secretary
  30. 1997-07-11
    ➕
    NQH LIMITED appointed
    corporate-nominee-director

Owner dependency

75/100
High — earn-out structure required

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

FACTORS
  • +Long-tenure founder: Senior director has been in place 29 years — deep operational knowledge concentrated in one person.
  • +Founder age: Director aged approximately 88 — succession pressure is live.

Succession & seller-readiness

90/100
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 88 years old. Natural succession window is now.
  • primary20+ year tenure: Director in role 29 years. Very long tenure is a classic succession signal.
  • secondaryStable-but-static management: Company is 29 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

clean
No red flags detected from available public data. (This is not a clean bill of health — detailed accounts review still recommended.)

Shareholders & ownership

1 active beneficial owner
NameSharesVoting rightsNature of controlNotified
Mr Michael Antony Frank Ashfield
Individual · British · DOB 05/1938 · age 88
25–50%
—25-50% shares · trust interest30/06/2016

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

🔒Co-director network graph

Radial SVG graph showing every company connected via shared directors, colour-coded by status.

Available from the Pro tier upwards.

See pricing →

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

7 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
Incorporated1997-07-11
Jurisdictionengland-wales
Primary SIC01130 — SIC 01130

Registered office

81 High Street
Nash
Milton Keynes
MK17 0EP
England

Filing status

Accounts
Next due: 2027-09-30
Last made up to: 2025-12-31
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2027-07-20
Last: 2026-07-06

Officers (4 active · 5 resigned)

SCULLEY, Jennifer Mary→
secretary · appointed 1997-10-09
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
ASHFIELD, Michael Antony Frank→
director · ~88y · appointed 1997-10-09
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
ASHFIELD MCQUILLIN, Melanie Kate→
director · ~57y · appointed 2011-10-03
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
BARNES, Catherine→
director · ~78y · appointed 2011-10-03
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
NQH (CO SEC) LIMITED→
corporate-nominee-secretary · appointed 1997-07-11 · resigned 1997-10-09
Resigned
ASHFIELD, Gerald William→
director · ~116y · appointed 1997-10-09 · resigned 2009-09-11
Resigned
ASHFIELD, Philip John Christopher→
director · ~86y · appointed 1997-10-09 · resigned 2018-09-29
Resigned
WEBBERLEY, Nicola Margaret→
director · ~87y · appointed 2011-10-03 · resigned 2018-10-23
Resigned
NQH LIMITED→
corporate-nominee-director · appointed 1997-07-11 · resigned 1997-10-09
Resigned

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

Recent filings (89 total)

accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2026-07-25
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2026-07-06
change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
2026-05-13
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-07-11
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2025-06-17
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-07-11
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2024-07-07
change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-address
address · AD01
2023-09-13
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-07-17
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2023-07-03
change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-address
address · AD01
2023-05-15
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2022-08-30
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-07-13
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2021-08-09
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2021-07-13