1ST GEAR (SOUTH WEST) LIMITED

🌳Matureactive
05415180 · ltd · incorporated 2005-04-06
Investment thesis
Established operating company — standard diligence applies, no dominant angle.
Why interesting: Live, filing, normal profile.
Why risky: No standout signals in either direction.
🔒Estimated value
—
Upgrade to see
Turnover
—
year to Mar 2025
Net worth
—
book net assets
Opportunity
76/100
Strong
🔔
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What this business does

Likely operating as a driving school in the Torquay area, this business probably provides learner driver tuition and related road safety education on a day-to-day basis, with instructors delivering practical and theory-based training to individuals preparing for their driving tests.

Primary activity: Driving school activities
Sector: Education
Investor take
Pursue
Active trading company. Family succession underway — not a classic acquisition target.

Opportunity 76/100 (strong), bankability 75/100. Same-surname younger director in place — likely family handover, not open to sale. Share purchase looks the cleaner deal structure. Most likely exit: share sale to pe / searcher (58/100).

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
Confirmed no charges registered
85
Directors & officers
9 officers (2 active, 9 linked, 4 with DOB)
79
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
65 filings on record
85
Gazette notices
No matching gazette notices (standard for active companies)
60
🔒Estimated company valuation

Sector-multiple EBITDA, turnover, and NAV-proxy valuation range with confidence tier — derived from extracted iXBRL financials.

Available from the Pro tier upwards.

See pricing →
Opportunity Score
76/100Strong
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
85
Few red flags.
Signal strength
90
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£0Mar 2024Mar 2025

Hover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series

Financials

Extracted from Companies House accounts · accounting standard unknown
Metric2025-03-312024-03-31
Average employees300300

Amounts extracted automatically from iXBRL. Fields left blank were not reported or not mapped. Values in GBP unless stated.

🔒Filing-note intelligence

3 signals 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 (32 events)Click to expand
  1. 2025-06-18
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  2. 2024-10-02
    📄
    termination-secretary-company-with-name-termination-date
    officers · TM02
  3. 2024-09-30
    ➖
    WOODCOCK, Amanda resigned
    secretary
  4. 2024-09-30
    ➖
    WOODCOCK, Amanda resigned
    director
  5. 2024-09-30
    📄
    termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date
    officers · TM01
  6. 2024-08-21
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  7. 2023-11-16
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  8. 2023-04-04
    ➕
    WOODCOCK, Sophie appointed
    director
  9. 2023-04-04
    📄
    appoint-person-director-company-with-name-date
    officers · AP01
  10. 2022-05-19
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  11. 2021-06-02
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  12. 2020-06-22
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  13. 2019-09-20
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  14. 2018-07-18
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  15. 2017-08-02
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  16. 2016-06-23
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-small
    accounts · AA
  17. 2016-04-18
    📄
    annual-return-company-with-made-up-date-full-list-shareholders
    annual-return · AR01
  18. 2015-05-19
    📄
    annual-return-company-with-made-up-date-full-list-shareholders
    annual-return · AR01
  19. 2007-07-23
    ➕
    WOODCOCK, Graham David appointed
    director
  20. 2007-07-23
    ➖
    WILSON, Neil David Ferrers resigned
    secretary
  21. 2007-07-23
    ➕
    WOODCOCK, Amanda appointed
    secretary
  22. 2007-07-23
    ➖
    O'CONNOR, Jane Mary, Dr resigned
    director
  23. 2007-07-23
    ➕
    WOODCOCK, Amanda appointed
    director
  24. 2006-04-30
    ➖
    SHERWOOD, Luke William resigned
    secretary
  25. 2006-04-30
    ➕
    WILSON, Neil David Ferrers appointed
    secretary
  26. 2005-05-06
    ➕
    SHERWOOD, Luke William appointed
    secretary
  27. 2005-05-06
    ➖
    @UKPLC CLIENT SECRETARY LTD resigned
    corporate-nominee-secretary
  28. 2005-05-06
    ➕
    O'CONNOR, Jane Mary, Dr appointed
    director
  29. 2005-05-06
    ➖
    @UKPLC CLIENT DIRECTOR LTD resigned
    corporate-nominee-director
  30. 2005-04-06
    🏢
    Company incorporated
    As 1ST GEAR (SOUTH WEST) LIMITED
  31. 2005-04-06
    ➕
    @UKPLC CLIENT SECRETARY LTD appointed
    corporate-nominee-secretary
  32. 2005-04-06
    ➕
    @UKPLC CLIENT DIRECTOR LTD appointed
    corporate-nominee-director

Owner dependency

76/100
High — earn-out structure required

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

FACTORS
  • +Two-director setup: Only two active directors — typical of owner-managed SMEs but limits succession.
  • +Long-tenure founder: Senior director has been in place 19 years — deep operational knowledge concentrated in one person.
  • +Family involvement: Multiple officers share a surname — likely family business, which concentrates governance.

Succession & seller-readiness

19/100
No succession signal

No meaningful acquirability indicators from public data.

SIGNALS
  • primaryFamily succession underway: Not a takeover target — WOODCOCK, Sophie (same surname) appointed 2023-04-04. Pattern consistent with intra-family handover.
  • secondaryTwo-director governance: Small-team governance. Succession depth is thin but not absent.
  • secondary12+ year tenure: Director in role 19 years.
  • secondaryStable-but-static management: Company is 21 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 Graham David Woodcock
Individual · British · DOB 11/1969 · age 57
——sig. influencesignificant influence06/04/2016

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 →

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CompanyEst. valueTurnoverNet worthStaffAgeOppDirector
3CP TRAINING AND CONSULTANCY LTD→
16633797 · est 2025 · no financials extracted
———————
3D EDUCATION AND ADVENTURE LIMITED→
15718184 · est 2024 · no financials extracted
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A & B PSYCHOLOGISTS LTD→
10906106 · est 2017 · no financials extracted
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A KIND OF MAGIC EQUINE CENTRE C.I.C.→
10153273 · est 2016 · no financials extracted
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16731245 · est 2025 · no financials extracted
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13639183 · est 2021 · no financials extracted
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ABBOTSBURY SCHOOL LIMITED→
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ACE ENHANCED SERVICES LIMITED→
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————9y——
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
Incorporated2005-04-06
Jurisdictionengland-wales
Primary SIC85530 — Driving school activities

Registered office

18 Grenadine Close
Devon
Torquay
TQ2 7GN

Filing status

Accounts
Next due: 2026-12-31
Last made up to: 2025-03-31
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2027-03-21
Last: 2026-03-07

Officers (2 active · 7 resigned)

WOODCOCK, Graham David→
director · ~57y · appointed 2007-07-23
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
WOODCOCK, Sophie→
director · ~22y · appointed 2023-04-04
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
SHERWOOD, Luke William→
secretary · appointed 2005-05-06 · resigned 2006-04-30
Resigned
WILSON, Neil David Ferrers→
secretary · appointed 2006-04-30 · resigned 2007-07-23
Resigned
WOODCOCK, Amanda→
secretary · appointed 2007-07-23 · resigned 2024-09-30
Resigned
@UKPLC CLIENT SECRETARY LTD→
corporate-nominee-secretary · appointed 2005-04-06 · resigned 2005-05-06
Resigned
O'CONNOR, Jane Mary, Dr→
director · ~55y · appointed 2005-05-06 · resigned 2007-07-23
Resigned
WOODCOCK, Amanda→
director · ~46y · appointed 2007-07-23 · resigned 2024-09-30
Resigned
@UKPLC CLIENT DIRECTOR LTD→
corporate-nominee-director · appointed 2005-04-06 · resigned 2005-05-06
Resigned

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

Recent filings (65 total)

confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2026-04-15
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2025-06-18
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-03-07
termination-secretary-company-with-name-termination-date
officers · TM02
2024-10-02
termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date
officers · TM01
2024-09-30
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2024-08-21
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-03-07
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2023-11-16
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-04-05
appoint-person-director-company-with-name-date
officers · AP01
2023-04-04
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2022-05-19
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-04-06
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2021-06-02
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2021-04-19
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2020-06-22