BARNSTON BUDDIES LIMITED
🏛️Establishedactive
12445817 · ltd · incorporated 2020-02-06
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
£36.8k
book net assets
Opportunity
78/100
Strong
What this business does
Primary activity: Other education n.e.c.
Sector: Education
Investor take
PursueActive trading company with a 66-year-old founder — textbook succession opportunity.
Opportunity 78/100 (strong), bankability 80/100. Strong seller-intent signal (60/100, director aged 66). Share purchase looks the cleaner deal structure. Most likely exit: share sale to pe / searcher (73/100).
🏦
Refinance opportunity
1 live charge · oldest 4.0y
35/100
under pressure
Refinance would be pressure-driven, not opportunity-driven. Expect tighter margins and covenant scrutiny.
- · Charge age ~4.0 years — mid-life; refi window approaching.
- · Single lender — cleanest path to refinance.
- · Cashflow trend is negative — lender view likely cautious.
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 (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
19 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
65
Adequate — check latest filings for context.
Acquirability
70
Strong succession / seller-readiness signals.
Risk profile
85
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 £36,788
Net assets shrinking
Down £8,030 YoY
Cash YoY
-29%
Year on year
Key financials
2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accountsCash
£59k
↓ 29% YoY
Net Worth
£37k
↓ 18% YoY
Current Assets
£71k
↓ 19% YoY
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 | £36.8k | £44.8k |
| Current assets | £71.4k | £88.0k |
| Cash | £59.0k | £83.6k |
| Debtors | £12.4k | £4.3k |
| Net assets | £36.8k | £44.8k |
Amounts extracted automatically from iXBRL. Fields left blank were not reported or not mapped. Values in GBP unless stated.
🔒Filing-note intelligence
2 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
0
filings
Last 180 days
1
filing
- • 1 confirmation-statement
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (17 events)Click to expand
- 2025-08-21📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2024-08-21📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2023-12-21📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2023-10-31📄change-account-reference-date-company-previous-extendedaccounts · AA01
- 2022-11-24📄accounts-with-accounts-type-dormantaccounts · AA
- 2022-07-29📄mortgage-create-with-deed-with-charge-number-charge-creation-datemortgage · MR01
- 2022-07-28🔒Charge registered #1Lender: Hsbc UK Bank PLC
- 2022-02-15📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2022-02-15📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2022-02-15📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2022-02-15📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2022-02-15📍change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-addressaddress · AD01
- 2021-09-07📄accounts-with-accounts-type-dormantaccounts · AA
- 2020-02-06🏢Company incorporatedAs BARNSTON BUDDIES LIMITED
- 2020-02-06➕PRANCE, Gary appointeddirector
- 2020-02-06➕PRANCE, Nicola appointeddirector
- 2020-02-06📄incorporation-companyincorporation · NEWINC
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 66 — succession pressure is live.
- +Family involvement: Multiple officers share a surname — likely family business, which concentrates governance.
- +No director turnover: Company is 6 years old with no director changes — suggests a very tight-knit founder team never broadened.
Succession & seller-readiness
56/100
Strong succession signalMultiple signals suggest succession is on the horizon. Candidate for proactive outreach.
SIGNALS
- primaryFounder aged 63+: Senior director is approximately 66. Approaching typical UK retirement age — succession thinking likely.
- secondaryTwo-director governance: Small-team governance. Succession depth is thin but not absent.
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| Name | Shares | Voting rights | Nature of control | Notified |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Mr Gary Prance Individual · British · DOB 09/1960 · age 66 | 25–50% | 25–50% | 25-50% shares · 25-50% voting | 06/02/2020 |
Mrs Nicola Prance Individual · British · DOB 12/1962 · age 64 | 25–50% | 25–50% | 25-50% shares · 25-50% voting | 06/02/2020 |
From Companies House Persons with Significant Control filings. Share ranges are banded per the public PSC regime.
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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| ATHENA EDUCATIONAL SUPPORT SERVICES LIMITED→ 13695554 · est 2021 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 4y | — | — |
| AW ARENA LTD→ 16235659 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 1y | — | — |
| B2H TECHNICAL ROPE TRAINING LIMITED→ 14576544 · est 2023 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 3y | — | — |
| B7 AVIATION LIMITED→ 14056466 · est 2022 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 3y | — | — |
| BABY CLUB CHESHIRE LTD→ 13102264 · est 2020 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 5y | — | — |
| BAGILLT HERITAGE SOCIETY→ 08824466 · est 2013 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 12y | — | — |
| BE WELL COMMUNITY LEARNING CIC→ 12979652 · est 2020 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 5y | — | — |
| BE WELL LEARNING LTD→ 11723775 · est 2018 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 7y | — | — |
| BEDFORD DENTAL ACADEMY LIMITED→ 10760260 · est 2017 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 8y | — | — |
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
Incorporated2020-02-06
Jurisdictionengland-wales
Primary SIC85590 — Other education n.e.c.
Registered office
Sandham Grove
Heswall
Wirral
Merseyside
CH60 1XW
United Kingdom
Filing status
Accounts
Next due: 2026-12-31
Last made up to: 2025-03-31
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2027-02-20
Last: 2026-02-06
Officers (2 active · 0 resigned)
PRANCE, Gary→
Activedirector · ~66y · appointed 2020-02-06
View their other companies + combined net worth →
PRANCE, Nicola→
Activedirector · ~64y · appointed 2020-02-06
View their other companies + combined net worth →
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 | HSBC Hsbc UK Bank PLC | A registered charge | 1 property | 28/07/2022 | — |
Click column headers to sort. Use filters above to narrow by status and lender.
Recent filings (19 total)
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2026-02-09
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2025-08-21
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-02-10
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2024-08-21
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-03-18
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2023-12-21
change-account-reference-date-company-previous-extended
accounts · AA01
2023-10-31
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-02-07
accounts-with-accounts-type-dormant
accounts · AA
2022-11-24
mortgage-create-with-deed-with-charge-number-charge-creation-date
mortgage · MR01
2022-07-29
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-02-15
change-person-director-company-with-change-date
officers · CH01
2022-02-15
change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
2022-02-15
change-person-director-company-with-change-date
officers · CH01
2022-02-15
change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
2022-02-15