BEN LAY'S FREE RANGE LTD
💤Zombieactive
07047819 · ltd · incorporated 2009-10-17
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 Sept 2024
Net worth
£193.7k
book net assets
Opportunity
77/100
Strong
What this business does
Primary activity: SIC 01470
Sector: Agriculture, forestry & fishing
Investor take
PursueStrong opportunity: active trading company with strong profile and bankable structure.
Opportunity 77/100 (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: Cash flow review and working-capital discipline. Cash down -93% YoY — forensic review of receivables, stock turns, and creditor days. Most likely exit: share sale to pe / searcher (58/100).
🏦
Refinance opportunity
1 live charge · oldest 5.8y
45/100
under pressure
Refinance would be pressure-driven, not opportunity-driven. Expect tighter margins and covenant scrutiny.
- · Oldest live charge is 5.8 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
2 officers (1 active, 2 linked, 2 with DOB)
90
Ownership & PSC
1 active PSC(s) of 2 total, 2 with control declared
90
Director network
Network not yet resolved
30
Filing history
37 filings on record
85
Gazette notices
No matching gazette notices (standard for active companies)
60
Opportunity Score
77/100Strong
PassWatchWorth a lookStrongExceptional
Solid opportunity signal. Worth a dedicated memo and management meeting.
Business quality
70
Active, clean filings, stable charge profile.
Acquirability
60
Some acquirability indicators.
Risk profile
85
Few red flags.
Signal strength
100
Good data coverage for analysis.
Signals from accounts
Derived from iXBRL accounts · FRS 102Positive net assets
Net assets £193,662
Cash draining
Cash down 93% YoY
Cash YoY
-93%
Year on year
Key financials
2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accountsCash
£4k
↓ 93% YoY
Net Worth
£194k
↑ 23% YoY
Current Assets
£16k
↓ 80% YoY
Current Liabilities
—
Hover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series
Financials
Extracted from Companies House accounts · FRS 102| Metric | 2024-09-30 | 2023-09-30 |
|---|---|---|
| Total assets | £566.6k | £545.6k |
| Current assets | £16.3k | £80.4k |
| Cash | £3.9k | £58.6k |
| Debtors | £12.4k | £17.6k |
| Net assets | £193.7k | £157.2k |
Amounts extracted automatically from iXBRL. Fields left blank were not reported or not mapped. Values in GBP unless stated.
Recent activity
Last 30 days
0
filings
Last 90 days
0
filings
Last 180 days
0
filings
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (20 events)Click to expand
- 2025-06-25📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2024-06-26📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2023-07-25📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2022-06-20📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2021-03-01📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2020-07-15📄mortgage-create-with-deed-with-charge-number-charge-creation-datemortgage · MR01
- 2020-07-10🔒Charge registered #1Lender: National Westminster Bank PLC
- 2020-06-09📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2019-06-20📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2018-08-15📄termination-director-company-with-name-termination-dateofficers · TM01
- 2018-08-15📄cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC07
- 2018-08-15📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2018-08-08➖LAY, Tamsyn resigneddirector
- 2018-06-22📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2017-06-23📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-smallaccounts · AA
- 2016-06-21📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-smallaccounts · AA
- 2015-10-26📄annual-return-company-with-made-up-date-full-list-shareholdersannual-return · AR01
- 2009-10-17🏢Company incorporatedAs BEN LAY'S FREE RANGE LTD
- 2009-10-17➕LAY, Benjamin appointeddirector
- 2009-10-17➕LAY, Tamsyn appointeddirector
Owner dependency
85/100
Critical — business is the founderThe 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.
- +Long-tenure founder: Senior director has been in place 17 years — deep operational knowledge concentrated in one person.
Succession & seller-readiness
68/100
Strong succession signalMultiple signals suggest succession is on the horizon. Candidate for proactive outreach.
SIGNALS
- primarySole active director: Only one director in control. No visible successor — buyers solve the succession problem.
- secondary12+ year tenure: Director in role 17 years.
- secondaryStable-but-static management: Company is 17 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
cleanNo 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 · dominant holder ≥75%| Name | Shares | Voting rights | Nature of control | Notified |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Mr Benjamin Lay Individual · British · DOB 04/1972 · age 54 | 75–100% | 75–100% | 75-100% shares · 75-100% voting | 06/04/2016 |
1 historic (ceased) PSC
- Mrs Tamsyn Layceased 08/08/2018· 25-50% shares · 25-50% voting
From Companies House Persons with Significant Control filings. Share ranges are banded per the public PSC regime.
Similar companies
Active · Agriculture · OX postcode area| Company | Est. value | Turnover | Net worth | Staff | Age | Opp | Director |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A.G. HEDGES (FARMS) LIMITED→ 00751290 · est 1963 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 63y | — | — |
| ANDREW MUNNS TREE SURGERY LTD→ 12734943 · est 2020 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 5y | — | — |
| ARBUK LIMITED→ 09577025 · est 2015 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 10y | — | — |
| ASTHALL WILD CIC→ 15080369 · est 2023 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 2y | — | — |
| ATLAS AUTOMATED SERVICES LTD→ 15854814 · est 2024 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 1y | — | — |
| B J & S WALLIS LIMITED→ 02310306 · est 1988 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 37y | — | — |
| B.BUCKINGHAM AND SONS LIMITED→ 01007213 · est 1971 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 55y | — | — |
| BD THOROUGHBREDS LTD→ 17034238 · est 2026 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| BEN SMITH & SONS(WANTAGE)LIMITED→ 00600903 · est 1958 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 68y | — | — |
| BEST NEST HATCHERIES LIMITED→ 02647672 · est 1991 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 34y | — | — |
| BETTS FARM & PROPERTY MANAGEMENT LIMITED→ 01356305 · est 1978 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 48y | — | — |
| BIG FISH FARM COMMUNITY INTEREST COMPANY→ 15862233 · est 2024 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 1y | — | — |
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
Incorporated2009-10-17
Jurisdictionengland-wales
Primary SIC01470 — SIC 01470
Registered office
Manor Farm
Fyfield
Abingdon
Oxon
OX13 5LR
Filing status
Accounts
Next due: 2026-06-30
Last made up to: 2024-09-30
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2026-10-31
Last: 2025-10-17
Officers (1 active · 1 resigned)
LAY, Benjamin→
Activedirector · ~54y · appointed 2009-10-17
View their other companies + combined net worth →
LAY, Tamsyn→
Resigneddirector · ~56y · appointed 2009-10-17 · resigned 2018-08-08
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
| Type | Properties | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| outstanding | National Westminster Bank National Westminster Bank PLC | A registered charge | — | 10/07/2020 | — |
Click column headers to sort. Use filters above to narrow by status and lender.
Recent filings (37 total)
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-10-23
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2025-06-25
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-10-24
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2024-06-26
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-10-24
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2023-07-25
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-10-25
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2022-06-20
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2021-10-26
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2021-03-01
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2020-11-23
mortgage-create-with-deed-with-charge-number-charge-creation-date
mortgage · MR01
2020-07-15
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2020-06-09
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2019-10-17
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2019-06-20