ASHFORD PLAY CENTRE LIMITED

💤Zombieactive
04884049 · ltd · incorporated 2003-09-01
Investment thesis
Zombie company — trading but stalled; unlikely mover.
Why interesting: Quiet, steady; could be a succession or carve-out candidate with the right conversation.
Why risky: No growth signal; thin margin for error on price.
🔒Estimated value
—
Upgrade to see
Turnover
—
year to Apr 2025
Net worth
—
book net assets
Opportunity
79/100
Strong
🔔
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What this business does
Primary activity: Pre-primary education
Sector: Education
Investor take
Pursue
Strong opportunity: active trading company with strong profile and bankable structure.

Opportunity 79/100 (strong), bankability 80/100. High owner-dependency — earn-out structure likely required for clean transition. Share purchase looks the cleaner deal structure. Biggest value-creation lever: Discharge stale live charges. 1 live charge(s) created 15+ years ago — likely paid but undischarged. Clean register. Most likely exit: share sale to pe / searcher (73/100).

🏦

Refinance opportunity

1 live charge · oldest 22.6y

45/100
under pressure

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

  • · Oldest live charge is 22.6 years old — likely at or near maturity.
  • · Single lender — cleanest path to refinance.
  • · Distress signals active — lender appetite narrows.

Data confidence

Overall: medium (78/100)

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 (1 active, 7 linked, 3 with DOB)
79
Ownership & PSC
1 active PSC(s) of 4 total, 4 with control declared
90
Director network
1 connected companies via shared directors
48
Filing history
81 filings on record
85
Gazette notices
No matching gazette notices (standard for active companies)
60
Opportunity Score
79/100Strong
PassWatchWorth a lookStrongExceptional 

Solid opportunity signal. Worth a dedicated memo and management meeting.

Business quality
70
Active, clean filings, stable charge profile.
Acquirability
70
Strong succession / seller-readiness signals.
Risk profile
85
Few red flags.
Signal strength
100
Good data coverage for analysis.

Key financials

2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accounts
Cash
—
Net Worth
—
Current Assets
—
Current Liabilities
—
£0£0£0£0£0£0Apr 2024Apr 2025

Hover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series

Financials

Extracted from Companies House accounts · FRS 102
Metric2025-04-302024-04-30
Average employees27003400

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
0
filings
Last 180 days
2
filings
  • • 1 confirmation-statement
  • • 1 accounts
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (32 events)Click to expand
  1. 2025-12-24
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  2. 2025-09-11
    📄
    change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
    persons-with-significant-control · PSC05
  3. 2025-09-11
    📄
    change-person-director-company-with-change-date
    officers · CH01
  4. 2025-09-11
    📍
    change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-address
    address · AD01
  5. 2024-11-06
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  6. 2024-01-31
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  7. 2022-10-31
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  8. 2022-01-07
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  9. 2021-02-02
    📄
    change-person-director-company-with-change-date
    officers · CH01
  10. 2021-01-12
    📄
    notification-of-a-person-with-significant-control
    persons-with-significant-control · PSC02
  11. 2021-01-12
    📄
    cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-control
    persons-with-significant-control · PSC07
  12. 2021-01-12
    📄
    cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-control
    persons-with-significant-control · PSC07
  13. 2021-01-12
    📄
    cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-control
    persons-with-significant-control · PSC07
  14. 2020-11-02
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  15. 2020-10-02
    📄
    change-person-director-company-with-change-date
    officers · CH01
  16. 2019-11-12
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  17. 2018-11-14
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  18. 2013-05-10
    ➕
    CLARKE, Martin appointed
    director
  19. 2013-05-10
    ➖
    CONYBEAR, Lynn Alison resigned
    secretary
  20. 2013-05-10
    ➖
    CONYBEAR, Lynn Alison resigned
    director
  21. 2013-05-10
    ➖
    CONYBEAR, Tyrone resigned
    director
  22. 2003-10-31
    🔒
    Charge registered #1
    Lender: National Westminster Bank PLC
  23. 2003-10-14
    ➕
    CONYBEAR, Lynn Alison appointed
    secretary
  24. 2003-10-14
    ➖
    CONYBEAR, Tyrone resigned
    secretary
  25. 2003-10-14
    ➕
    CONYBEAR, Tyrone appointed
    director
  26. 2003-09-24
    ➕
    CONYBEAR, Tyrone appointed
    secretary
  27. 2003-09-24
    ➖
    SWIFT INCORPORATIONS LIMITED resigned
    corporate-nominee-secretary
  28. 2003-09-24
    ➕
    CONYBEAR, Lynn Alison appointed
    director
  29. 2003-09-24
    ➖
    INSTANT COMPANIES LIMITED resigned
    corporate-nominee-director
  30. 2003-09-01
    🏢
    Company incorporated
    As ASHFORD PLAY CENTRE LIMITED
  31. 2003-09-01
    ➕
    SWIFT INCORPORATIONS LIMITED appointed
    corporate-nominee-secretary
  32. 2003-09-01
    ➕
    INSTANT COMPANIES LIMITED appointed
    corporate-nominee-director

Owner dependency

83/100
Critical — business is the founder

The business appears inseparable from the founder. Acquisition without a serious earn-out or meaningful transition period would likely destroy value.

FACTORS
  • +Sole director: Only one active director — all governance concentrated on one person.
  • +Senior director age: Director aged approximately 62 — approaching natural succession window.

Succession & seller-readiness

78/100
Likely off-market candidate

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

SIGNALS
  • secondaryFounder aged 58+: Senior director is approximately 62. Early succession window.
  • primarySole active director: Only one director in control. No visible successor — buyers solve the succession problem.
  • secondary12+ year tenure: Director in role 13 years.
  • secondaryStable-but-static management: Company is 23 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.)

Group structure

Mle Ashford Limited is the ultimate parent — holding 75%+ shares. This company sits inside their group.

🏛️
Mle Ashford Limited
Corporate parent · holds 75-100% shares · board control
ultimate parent
⬇
ASHFORD PLAY CENTRE LIMITED
This company · 04884049

Parent relationships inferred from Persons with Significant Control filings. Full subsidiary tree requires reverse-lookup (coming).

Shareholders & ownership

1 active beneficial owner · dominant holder ≥75%
NameSharesVoting rightsNature of controlNotified
Mle Ashford Limited
Corporate entity
75–100%
75–100%board control75-100% shares · 75-100% voting · board control06/04/2016
3 historic (ceased) PSCs
  • Mr Martin Clarkeceased 06/04/2016· 25-50% shares
  • Mrs Lucy Francesca Clarkeceased 06/04/2016· 25-50% shares
  • Mrs. Eileen Beatrice Clarkeceased 06/04/2016· 25-50% shares

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
Incorporated2003-09-01
Jurisdictionengland-wales
Primary SIC85100 — Pre-primary education

Registered office

Henwood House
Henwood
Ashford
Kent
TN24 8DH
United Kingdom

Filing status

Accounts
Next due: 2027-01-31
Last made up to: 2025-04-30
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2027-01-27
Last: 2026-01-13

Officers (1 active · 6 resigned)

CLARKE, Martin→
director · ~62y · appointed 2013-05-10
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
CONYBEAR, Lynn Alison→
secretary · appointed 2003-10-14 · resigned 2013-05-10
Resigned
CONYBEAR, Tyrone→
secretary · appointed 2003-09-24 · resigned 2003-10-14
Resigned
SWIFT INCORPORATIONS LIMITED→
corporate-nominee-secretary · appointed 2003-09-01 · resigned 2003-09-24
Resigned
CONYBEAR, Lynn Alison→
director · ~59y · appointed 2003-09-24 · resigned 2013-05-10
Resigned
CONYBEAR, Tyrone→
director · ~59y · appointed 2003-10-14 · resigned 2013-05-10
Resigned
INSTANT COMPANIES LIMITED→
corporate-nominee-director · appointed 2003-09-01 · resigned 2003-09-24
Resigned

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

Mortgages & charges

1
Total charges
1
Outstanding
1
Active lenders
Status:Lender:1 of 1 shown
TypeProperties
outstanding
National Westminster Bank
National Westminster Bank PLC
Debenture1 property31/10/2003—
Click column headers to sort. Use filters above to narrow by status and lender.

Recent filings (81 total)

confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2026-02-12
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2025-12-24
change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC05
2025-09-11
change-person-director-company-with-change-date
officers · CH01
2025-09-11
change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-address
address · AD01
2025-09-11
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-01-16
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2024-11-06
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2024-01-31
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-01-16
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-01-17
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2022-10-31
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-01-13
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2022-01-07
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2021-02-09
change-person-director-company-with-change-date
officers · CH01
2021-02-02