BY THE MEADOW FARM LIMITED
🌳Matureactive
08442707 · ltd · incorporated 2013-03-13
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
£-93.5k
book net assets
Opportunity
78/100
Strong
What this business does
Primary activity: SIC 01500
Sector: Agriculture, forestry & fishing
Investor take
Pass (distressed without resilience)Distressed active trading company — structural issues outweigh the discount.
Opportunity 78/100 (strong), bankability 75/100. Strong seller-intent signal (68/100, director aged 80). Share purchase looks the cleaner deal structure. Biggest value-creation lever: Cash flow review and working-capital discipline. Cash down -61% YoY — forensic review of receivables, stock turns, and creditor days. Most likely exit: share sale to pe / searcher (73/100).
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
2 officers (2 active, 2 linked, 2 with DOB)
90
Ownership & PSC
2 active PSC(s) of 2 total, 2 with control declared
90
Director network
Network not yet resolved
30
Filing history
26 filings on record
85
Gazette notices
No matching gazette notices (standard for active companies)
60
Opportunity Score
78/100Strong
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
90
Good data coverage for analysis.
Signals from accounts
Derived from iXBRL accounts · accounting standard not declaredNegative net assets
Liabilities exceed assets by £93,522
Cash draining
Cash down 61% YoY
Cash YoY
-61%
Year on year
Key financials
2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accountsCash
£5k
↓ 61% YoY
Net Worth
-£94k
↓ 16% YoY
Current Assets
—
Current Liabilities
—
Hover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series
Financials
Extracted from Companies House accounts · accounting standard unknown| Metric | 2025-03-31 | 2024-03-31 |
|---|---|---|
| Total assets | £-93.5k | £-80.9k |
| Cash | £4.8k | £12.2k |
| Net assets | £-93.5k | £-80.9k |
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
0
filings
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (18 events)Click to expand
- 2026-01-12📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2025-01-28📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2023-12-21📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2022-12-23📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2021-12-21📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2021-03-30📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2019-12-19📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2018-12-19📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2017-12-20📄accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridgedaccounts · AA
- 2016-12-20📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-smallaccounts · AA
- 2016-03-16📄annual-return-company-with-made-up-date-full-list-shareholdersannual-return · AR01
- 2015-12-23📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-smallaccounts · AA
- 2015-03-31📄annual-return-company-with-made-up-date-full-list-shareholdersannual-return · AR01
- 2014-12-12📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-smallaccounts · AA
- 2014-03-27📄annual-return-company-with-made-up-date-full-list-shareholdersannual-return · AR01
- 2013-03-13🏢Company incorporatedAs BY THE MEADOW FARM LIMITED
- 2013-03-13➕BITMEAD, Katherine appointeddirector
- 2013-03-13➕BITMEAD, Rodney appointeddirector
Owner dependency
86/100
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
- +Two-director setup: Only two active directors — typical of owner-managed SMEs but limits succession.
- +Founder age: Director aged approximately 80 — succession pressure is live.
- +Family involvement: Multiple officers share a surname — likely family business, which concentrates governance.
- +No director turnover: Company is 13 years old with no director changes — suggests a very tight-knit founder team never broadened.
Succession & seller-readiness
79/100
Likely off-market candidateStrong acquirability signals converging. Worth approaching directly — this is how off-market deals start.
SIGNALS
- primaryFounder aged 70+: Senior director is approximately 80 years old. Natural succession window is now.
- secondaryTwo-director governance: Small-team governance. Succession depth is thin but not absent.
- secondary12+ year tenure: Director in role 13 years.
- 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
2 active beneficial owners · dominant holder ≥75%| Name | Shares | Voting rights | Nature of control | Notified |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Mr Rodney Bitmead Individual · British · DOB 02/1946 · age 80 | 75–100% | 75–100% | 75-100% shares · 75-100% voting | 06/04/2016 |
Mrs Katherine Bitmead Individual · British · DOB 12/1946 · age 80 | 75–100% | 75–100% | 75-100% shares · 75-100% voting | 06/04/2016 |
From Companies House Persons with Significant Control filings. Share ranges are banded per the public PSC regime.
Similar companies
Active · Agriculture · GL postcode area| Company | Est. value | Turnover | Net worth | Staff | Age | Opp | Director |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ASHLEWORTH CENTRE OF EQUESTRIAN SERVICES LIMITED→ 12532066 · est 2020 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 6y | — | — |
| BATHURST ESTATE FARMING LIMITED→ 11788515 · est 2019 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 7y | — | — |
| BLACKHOUSE FARM LIMITED→ 04966043 · est 2003 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 22y | — | — |
| BOUNTIFUL BEES LIMITED→ 15153759 · est 2023 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 2y | — | — |
| BROOKFURLONGS LIMITED→ 01128660 · est 1973 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 52y | — | — |
| BRYAN MORRIS (CONTRACTING) LIMITED→ 09087991 · est 2014 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 11y | — | — |
| BURLEY LODGE STUD LIMITED→ 11869977 · est 2019 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 7y | — | — |
| BURNT ASH FARM LIMITED→ 06455935 · est 2007 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 18y | — | — |
| BUTLERS HILL LIVERY LIMITED→ 12293623 · est 2019 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 6y | — | — |
| C.J. ASHMEAD LIMITED→ 01309946 · est 1977 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 48y | — | — |
| CACKLEBEAN LIMITED→ 12521501 · est 2020 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 6y | — | — |
| CADBURY ANGLING LIMITED→ 14139455 · est 2022 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 3y | — | — |
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
Incorporated2013-03-13
Jurisdictionengland-wales
Primary SIC01500 — SIC 01500
Registered office
Ross House The Square
Stow On The Wold
Cheltenham
Gloucestershire
GL54 1AF
Filing status
Accounts
Next due: 2026-12-31
Last made up to: 2025-03-31
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2027-02-04
Last: 2026-01-21
Officers (2 active · 0 resigned)
BITMEAD, Katherine→
Activedirector · ~80y · appointed 2013-03-13
View their other companies + combined net worth →
BITMEAD, Rodney→
Activedirector · ~80y · appointed 2013-03-13
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.
Recent filings (26 total)
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2026-01-21
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2026-01-12
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-02-05
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2025-01-28
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-02-07
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2023-12-21
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-02-06
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2022-12-23
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-03-29
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2021-12-21
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2021-03-30
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2021-03-26
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2020-03-23
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2019-12-19
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2019-03-27