FORTH ENGINEERING (CUMBRIA) LIMITED
🌳Matureactive
04106328 · ltd · incorporated 2000-11-13
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 May 2025
Net worth
£3.63M
book net assets
Opportunity
75/100
Strong
What this business does
Primary activity: SIC 46140
Sector: Wholesale & retail
Investor take
PursueStrong opportunity: active trading company with strong profile and acceptable with review structure.
Opportunity 75/100 (strong), bankability 67/100. High owner-dependency — earn-out structure likely required for clean transition. Share purchase looks the cleaner deal structure. Biggest value-creation lever: Consolidate lender relationships. 7 distinct lenders creates friction — refinance into single-lender structure for cleaner diligence. Most likely exit: share sale to pe / searcher (58/100).
🏦
Refinance opportunity
10 live charges · 7 lenders · oldest 25.1y
35/100
too messy
Refinance path is blocked by complexity. Rethink structure or expect bespoke, expensive terms.
- · Oldest live charge is 25.1 years old — likely at or near maturity.
- · 7 lenders named — inter-creditor friction likely.
- · Legal-friction score 40/100 — workable, but lender will want more DD.
Data confidence
Overall: high (82/100)Strong data coverage across all sections. AI outputs should be trusted with minimal caveats.
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
10 charges (10/10 with lender, 10/10 with type)
90
Directors & officers
10 officers (2 active, 10 linked, 6 with DOB)
82
Ownership & PSC
2 active PSC(s) of 2 total, 2 with control declared
90
Director network
10 connected companies via shared directors
75
Filing history
108 filings on record
85
Gazette notices
No matching gazette notices (standard for active companies)
60
Opportunity Score
75/100Strong
PassWatchWorth a lookStrongExceptional
Solid opportunity signal. Worth a dedicated memo and management meeting.
Business quality
70
Active, clean filings, stable charge profile.
Acquirability
65
Some acquirability indicators.
Risk profile
77
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 £3,633,167
Cash YoY
+74118%
Year on year
Key financials
2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accountsCash
£1.1m
↑ 74118% YoY
Net Worth
£3.6m
↑ 83% YoY
Current Assets
£3.8m
↑ 57% YoY
Current Liabilities
—
Hover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series
Financials
Extracted from Companies House accounts · accounting standard unknown| Metric | 2025-05-31 | 2024-05-31 |
|---|---|---|
| Total assets | £3.88M | £2.32M |
| Current assets | £3.76M | £2.39M |
| Cash | £1.05M | £1.4k |
| Debtors | £2.56M | £2.24M |
| Net assets | £3.63M | £1.99M |
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
2
filings
- • 1 confirmation-statement
- • 1 accounts
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (54 events)Click to expand
- 2026-02-18📄accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridgedaccounts · AA
- 2025-06-18📄mortgage-create-with-deed-with-charge-number-charge-creation-datemortgage · MR01
- 2025-06-12🔒Charge registered #11Lender: National Westminster Bank PLC
- 2025-03-20📄mortgage-satisfy-charge-fullmortgage · MR04
- 2025-03-20🔓Charge satisfied #6
- 2025-03-19📄mortgage-satisfy-charge-fullmortgage · MR04
- 2025-03-19📄mortgage-satisfy-charge-fullmortgage · MR04
- 2025-03-19📄mortgage-satisfy-charge-fullmortgage · MR04
- 2025-03-19🔓Charge satisfied #9
- 2025-03-19🔓Charge satisfied #8
- 2025-03-19🔓Charge satisfied #7
- 2025-01-16📄termination-director-company-with-name-termination-dateofficers · TM01
- 2024-12-31➖LEWIS, John Martin resigneddirector
- 2024-12-03📄accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridgedaccounts · AA
- 2024-12-03📄mortgage-create-with-deed-with-charge-number-charge-creation-datemortgage · MR01
- 2024-12-03🔒Charge registered #10Lender: White Oak No.6 Limited
- 2023-12-21📄accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridgedaccounts · AA
- 2023-01-31📄termination-director-company-with-name-termination-dateofficers · TM01
- 2022-12-16➖WOODBURN, David Bryan resigneddirector
- 2022-08-18📄accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridgedaccounts · AA
- 2022-04-26📄accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridgedaccounts · AA
- 2021-05-05📄accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridgedaccounts · AA
- 2020-02-28📄accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridgedaccounts · AA
- 2020-01-30📄mortgage-create-with-deed-with-charge-number-charge-creation-datemortgage · MR01
- 2020-01-24🔒Charge registered #9Lender: National Westminster Bank PLC
- 2018-11-21📄appoint-person-director-company-with-name-dateofficers · AP01
- 2018-11-20➕LEWIS, John Martin appointeddirector
- 2018-03-28🔒Charge registered #8Lender: Aldermore Bank PLC
- 2017-08-31🔒Charge registered #7Lender: Aldermore Bank PLC
- 2015-04-28➕WOODBURN, David Bryan appointeddirector
- 2013-08-02➖PINCHES, Emma resigneddirector
- 2012-03-01🔒Charge registered #6Lender: Barclays Bank PLC
- 2012-01-24🔓Charge satisfied #5
- 2012-01-24🔓Charge satisfied #4
- 2012-01-24🔓Charge satisfied #3
- 2012-01-24🔓Charge satisfied #2
- 2010-10-20➖BELFORD, John resignedsecretary
- 2010-07-01➕CARTWRIGHT, Graham appointeddirector
- 2010-07-01➕PINCHES, Emma appointeddirector
- 2007-02-20➕BELFORD, John appointedsecretary
- 2007-02-20➖TELFORD, Nicola Anne resignedsecretary
- 2005-07-31➖WOODBURN, David Bryan resigneddirector
- 2005-01-06🔒Charge registered #5Lender: Venture Finance PLC
- 2004-09-22🔒Charge registered #4Lender: National Westminster Bank PLC
- 2004-03-01➕WOODBURN, David Bryan appointeddirector
- 2002-08-19🔒Charge registered #3Lender: Hsbc Bank PLC
- 2001-06-14🔒Charge registered #2Lender: Lloyds Tsb Commercial Finance Limited Trading as Alex Lawrie Factors
- 2000-11-13🏢Company incorporatedAs FORTH ENGINEERING (CUMBRIA) LIMITED
- 2000-11-13➕TELFORD, Mark appointeddirector
- 2000-11-13➕TELFORD, Nicola Anne appointedsecretary
Showing most recent 50 of 54 events
Owner dependency
68/100
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 26 years — deep operational knowledge concentrated in one person.
Succession & seller-readiness
66/100
Strong succession signalMultiple signals suggest succession is on the horizon. Candidate for proactive outreach.
SIGNALS
- secondaryTwo-director governance: Small-team governance. Succession depth is thin but not absent.
- primary20+ year tenure: Director in role 26 years. Very long tenure is a classic succession signal.
- secondaryStable-but-static management: Company is 26 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
1 med ·Charge satisfaction-then-recreation pattern
mediumMultiple instances where a charge was satisfied and a new charge created within 6 months. Suggests active refinancing cycle.
Shareholders & ownership
2 active beneficial owners| Name | Shares | Voting rights | Nature of control | Notified |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Mr Mark Telford Individual · British · DOB 07/1973 · age 53 | 25–50% | 25–50% | 25-50% shares · 25-50% voting | 06/04/2016 |
Mrs Nicola Anne Telford Individual · British · DOB 09/1979 · age 47 | 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.
🔒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 →Similar companies
Active · Wholesale & distribution · CA postcode area| Company | Est. value | Turnover | Net worth | Staff | Age | Opp | Director |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CUMBRIA COAL LIMITED→ 11250172 · est 2018 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 8y | — | — |
| CW AGRITECH LTD→ 13165885 · est 2021 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 5y | — | — |
| DRAINWISE (CIVILS) LTD→ 11359849 · est 2018 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 7y | — | — |
| EASY FUELS NE LTD→ 10875556 · est 2017 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 8y | — | — |
| ECO CROPS LTD→ 15361787 · est 2023 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 2y | — | — |
| FRANKIE'S FREE RANGE EGGS LIMITED→ 15586488 · est 2024 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 2y | — | — |
| FRIARS PACKING LIMITED→ 14672870 · est 2023 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 3y | — | — |
| G M PORTER LIMITED→ 05535874 · est 2005 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 20y | — | — |
| G&S SPECIALIST TIMBER TOOLS AND MACHINERY LIMITED→ 04390444 · est 2002 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 24y | — | — |
| GILL BROS DECKING DESIGN LIMITED→ 10627136 · est 2017 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 9y | — | — |
| GODSONEJIOFOR MEDICAL SERVICES LTD→ 16634709 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| GREENLIVING PHARMA LTD→ 08983530 · est 2014 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 12y | — | — |
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
Incorporated2000-11-13
Jurisdictionengland-wales
Primary SIC46140 — SIC 46140
Registered office
Risehow Hydraulics Centre
Risehow
Maryport
Cumbria
CA15 8PA
Filing status
Accounts
Next due: 2027-02-28
Last made up to: 2025-05-31
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2027-05-08
Last: 2026-04-24
Officers (2 active · 8 resigned)
CARTWRIGHT, Graham→
Activedirector · ~41y · appointed 2010-07-01
View their other companies + combined net worth →
TELFORD, Mark→
Activedirector · ~53y · appointed 2000-11-13
View their other companies + combined net worth →
BELFORD, John→
Resignedsecretary · appointed 2007-02-20 · resigned 2010-10-20
TELFORD, Nicola Anne→
Resignedsecretary · appointed 2000-11-13 · resigned 2007-02-20
BRITANNIA COMPANY FORMATIONS LIMITED→
Resignedcorporate-nominee-secretary · appointed 2000-11-13 · resigned 2000-11-13
LEWIS, John Martin→
Resigneddirector · ~57y · appointed 2018-11-20 · resigned 2024-12-31
PINCHES, Emma→
Resigneddirector · ~40y · appointed 2010-07-01 · resigned 2013-08-02
WOODBURN, David Bryan→
Resigneddirector · ~69y · appointed 2015-04-28 · resigned 2022-12-16
WOODBURN, David Bryan→
Resigneddirector · ~69y · appointed 2004-03-01 · resigned 2005-07-31
DEANSGATE COMPANY FORMATIONS LIMITED→
Resignedcorporate-nominee-director · appointed 2000-11-13 · resigned 2000-11-13
Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.
Mortgages & charges
10
Total charges
2
Outstanding
2
Active lenders
Status:Lender:10 of 10 shown
| Type | Properties | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| outstanding | National Westminster Bank National Westminster Bank PLC | A registered charge | — | 12/06/2025 | — | |
| outstanding | White Oak No.6 White Oak No.6 Limited | A registered charge | — | 03/12/2024 | — | |
| satisfied | National Westminster Bank National Westminster Bank PLC | A registered charge | — | 24/01/2020 | 19/03/2025 | |
| satisfied | Aldermore Aldermore Bank PLC | A registered charge | — | 28/03/2018 | 19/03/2025 | |
| satisfied | Aldermore Aldermore Bank PLC | A registered charge | — | 31/08/2017 | 19/03/2025 | |
| satisfied | Barclays Barclays Bank PLC | Debenture | 1 property | 01/03/2012 | 20/03/2025 | |
| satisfied | Venture Finance Venture Finance PLC | Debenture | 1 property | 06/01/2005 | 24/01/2012 | |
| satisfied | National Westminster Bank National Westminster Bank PLC | Debenture | 1 property | 22/09/2004 | 24/01/2012 | |
| satisfied | HSBC Hsbc Bank PLC | Debenture | 1 property | 19/08/2002 | 24/01/2012 | |
| satisfied | Lloyds Banking Group Lloyds Tsb Commercial Finance Limited Trading as Alex Lawrie Factors | Fixed and floating charge | 2 properties | 14/06/2001 | 24/01/2012 |
Click column headers to sort. Use filters above to narrow by status and lender.
Recent filings (108 total)
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2026-04-24
accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
accounts · AA
2026-02-18
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-08-12
mortgage-create-with-deed-with-charge-number-charge-creation-date
mortgage · MR01
2025-06-18
mortgage-satisfy-charge-full
mortgage · MR04
2025-03-20
mortgage-satisfy-charge-full
mortgage · MR04
2025-03-19
mortgage-satisfy-charge-full
mortgage · MR04
2025-03-19
mortgage-satisfy-charge-full
mortgage · MR04
2025-03-19
termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date
officers · TM01
2025-01-16
accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
accounts · AA
2024-12-03
mortgage-create-with-deed-with-charge-number-charge-creation-date
mortgage · MR01
2024-12-03
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-08-12
accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
accounts · AA
2023-12-21
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-08-14
termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date
officers · TM01
2023-01-31