STEPPING STONES NURSERIES (PETERHEAD) LIMITED

🌳Matureactive
SC260841 · ltd · incorporated 2003-12-15
Investment thesis
Well-run mature business — low negotiation leverage; premium likely.
Why interesting: Textbook target; clean filings, stable trading.
Why risky: No pressure on seller; any deal likely at full price.
Opportunity decay
approaching window · 12-months
Approaching a transaction window — refinance or sale event plausible in the next 12 months.
  • · Oldest live charge 22.1y old — refinance window within 12 months
🔒Estimated value
—
Upgrade to see
Turnover
—
year to Mar 2025
Net worth
£89.5k
book net assets
Opportunity
82/100
Exceptional
🔔
Follow this company (free)
Email alerts on filings, charges, director changes, gazette notices. No account needed.

Unsubscribe any time from any email. GDPR-respectful.

🔒Generate AI memo →🔒Outreach pack →🔒Corporate story →📑 Reports →Sign in to watch
What this business does
Primary activity: Pre-primary education
Sector: Education
Investor take
Pursue
Active trading company with a 66-year-old founder — textbook succession opportunity.

Opportunity 82/100 (exceptional), bankability 75/100. Strong seller-intent signal (63/100, director aged 66). Share purchase looks the cleaner deal structure. Biggest value-creation lever: Discharge stale live charges. 3 live charge(s) created 15+ years ago — likely paid but undischarged. Clean register. Most likely exit: share sale to pe / searcher (65/100).

🏦

Refinance opportunity

3 live charges · 2 lenders · oldest 22.1y

50/100
clean up first

Refinance viable after a tidy-up — address the highlighted items first.

  • · Oldest live charge is 22.1 years old — likely at or near maturity.
  • · Two lenders — manageable, but coordination required.
  • · Legal-friction score 25/100 — workable, but lender will want more DD.

Data confidence

Overall: medium (79/100)

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
3 charges (3/3 with lender, 3/3 with type)
90
Directors & officers
13 officers (4 active, 13 linked, 7 with DOB)
81
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
80 filings on record
85
Gazette notices
No matching gazette notices (standard for active companies)
60
Opportunity Score
82/100Exceptional
PassWatchWorth a lookStrongExceptional 

Strong composite across quality, acquirability, and risk. High-priority target — progress to serious diligence.

Business quality
70
Active, clean filings, stable charge profile.
Acquirability
80
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 declared
Positive net assets
Net assets £89,492

Key financials

2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accounts
Cash
—
Net Worth
£89k
↑ 8.9% YoY
Current Assets
£9k
↓ 35% YoY
Current Liabilities
—
£0£18k£36k£54k£72k£89kMar 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
Total assets£375.0k£432.9k
Current assets£9.2k£14.1k
Debtors£6.7k£11.7k
Net assets£89.5k£82.2k

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
1
filing
  • • 1 officers
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (41 events)Click to expand
  1. 2025-10-30
    ➕
    STRACHAN, Isla Rebecca Ethel appointed
    director
  2. 2025-10-30
    📄
    appoint-person-director-company-with-name-date
    officers · AP01
  3. 2025-07-28
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  4. 2024-12-19
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  5. 2023-11-09
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  6. 2022-07-04
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  7. 2021-12-07
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  8. 2021-02-16
    📄
    change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
    persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
  9. 2021-02-16
    📄
    capital-allotment-shares
    capital · SH01
  10. 2021-02-16
    📄
    change-person-director-company-with-change-date
    officers · CH01
  11. 2021-02-16
    📄
    change-person-secretary-company-with-change-date
    officers · CH03
  12. 2021-02-16
    📄
    change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
    persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
  13. 2021-02-15
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  14. 2019-10-30
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  15. 2018-09-08
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  16. 2017-09-01
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  17. 2017-04-01
    ➕
    DUNCAN, Carole Anne appointed
    director
  18. 2016-12-10
    ➖
    STRACHAN, Gordon Robert resigned
    director
  19. 2010-04-05
    ➕
    STRACHAN, Eileen Isobel appointed
    secretary
  20. 2010-04-05
    ➖
    STRACHAN, Gordon Robert resigned
    secretary
  21. 2010-04-05
    ➕
    STRACHAN, Gordon Robert appointed
    director
  22. 2010-01-26
    🔒
    Charge registered #3
    Lender: Royal Bank of Scotland PLC
  23. 2006-02-07
    ➖
    STRACHAN, Eileen Isobel resigned
    secretary
  24. 2006-02-07
    ➕
    STRACHAN, Gordon Robert appointed
    secretary
  25. 2005-12-12
    ➖
    STRACHAN, Gordon Robert resigned
    director
  26. 2005-03-31
    ➕
    STRACHAN, Eileen Isobel appointed
    director
  27. 2005-03-31
    ➖
    DONAGHY, Raymond resigned
    secretary
  28. 2005-03-31
    ➕
    STRACHAN, Eileen Isobel appointed
    secretary
  29. 2005-03-31
    ➖
    DONAGHY, Raymond resigned
    director
  30. 2005-03-31
    ➖
    DONAGHY, Rebecca resigned
    director
  31. 2005-03-31
    ➕
    STRACHAN, Gordon Robert appointed
    director
  32. 2004-06-15
    🔒
    Charge registered #2
    Lender: The Royal Bank of Scotland PLC
  33. 2004-03-04
    🔒
    Charge registered #1
    Lender: The Royal Bank of Scotland PLC
  34. 2003-12-15
    🏢
    Company incorporated
    As STEPPING STONES NURSERIES (PETERHEAD) LIMITED
  35. 2003-12-15
    ➕
    DONAGHY, Raymond appointed
    secretary
  36. 2003-12-15
    ➕
    BRIAN REID LTD. appointed
    corporate-nominee-secretary
  37. 2003-12-15
    ➖
    BRIAN REID LTD. resigned
    corporate-nominee-secretary
  38. 2003-12-15
    ➕
    DONAGHY, Raymond appointed
    director
  39. 2003-12-15
    ➕
    DONAGHY, Rebecca appointed
    director
  40. 2003-12-15
    ➕
    STEPHEN MABBOTT LTD. appointed
    corporate-nominee-director
  41. 2003-12-15
    ➖
    STEPHEN MABBOTT LTD. resigned
    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
  • +Long-tenure founder: Senior director has been in place 21 years — deep operational knowledge concentrated in one person.
  • +Founder age: Director aged approximately 66 — succession pressure is live.
  • +Family involvement: Multiple officers share a surname — likely family business, which concentrates governance.

Succession & seller-readiness

70/100
Strong succession signal

Multiple 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.
  • primary20+ year tenure: Director in role 21 years. Very long tenure is a classic succession signal.
  • 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
Ms Eileen Isobel Strachan
Individual · Scottish · DOB 09/1973 · age 53
25–50%
25–50%board control25-50% shares · 25-50% voting · board control10/12/2016

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 →

Similar companies

Active · Education & training · AB postcode area
CompanyEst. valueTurnoverNet worthStaffAgeOppDirector
NORTH EAST OF SCOTLAND MUSIC SCHOOL LIMITED→
SC058254 · est 1975 · no financials extracted
————50y8383y
1ST CLASS GAS LIMITED→
SC270334 · est 2004
——£256.6k—21y8264y
ABERDEEN STEP BY STEP NURSERY LIMITED→
SC291171 · est 2005
——£120.1k—20y8263y
BANBURY CROSS NURSERY LIMITED→
SC396469 · est 2011
——£192.0k—15y8266y
ESD SIMULATION TRAINING LIMITED→
SC199873 · est 1999
———30026y8265y
PETERHEAD & DISTRICT GROUP TRAINING LIMITED→
SC160231 · est 1995
——£743.8k—30y8260y
ABERDEEN STRAIGHT-WAY LIMITED→
SC219939 · est 2001
———20024y8172y
CHOICES ABERDEEN LIMITED→
SC307363 · est 2006 · no financials extracted
————19y8172y
HADDO COUNTRY PARK FORUM LTD→
SC324915 · est 2007
——£76.6k—18y8176y
LAURENCEKIRK YOUTH & COMMUNITY VENTURE→
SC180965 · est 1997
——£103.8k—28y8177y
SINCLAIR SCHOOL OF HIGHLAND DANCING LIMITED→
SC500411 · est 2015 · no financials extracted
————11y——
SPORT EDU COACH SERVICES LTD→
SC449438 · est 2013 · no financials extracted
————12y——
Peers ranked by estimated value, then turnover, then opportunity score.See all →
🔒Tailored diligence questions

8 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
Incorporated2003-12-15
Jurisdictionscotland
Primary SIC85100 — Pre-primary education

Registered office

65 King Street
Peterhead
Aberdeenshire
AB42 1QJ

Filing status

Accounts
Next due: 2026-12-31
Last made up to: 2025-03-31
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2026-09-30
Last: 2025-09-16

Officers (4 active · 9 resigned)

STRACHAN, Eileen Isobel→
secretary · appointed 2010-04-05
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
DUNCAN, Carole Anne→
director · ~66y · appointed 2017-04-01
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
STRACHAN, Eileen Isobel→
director · ~53y · appointed 2005-03-31
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
STRACHAN, Isla Rebecca Ethel→
director · ~26y · appointed 2025-10-30
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
DONAGHY, Raymond→
secretary · appointed 2003-12-15 · resigned 2005-03-31
Resigned
STRACHAN, Eileen Isobel→
secretary · appointed 2005-03-31 · resigned 2006-02-07
Resigned
STRACHAN, Gordon Robert→
secretary · appointed 2006-02-07 · resigned 2010-04-05
Resigned
BRIAN REID LTD.→
corporate-nominee-secretary · appointed 2003-12-15 · resigned 2003-12-15
Resigned
DONAGHY, Raymond→
director · ~82y · appointed 2003-12-15 · resigned 2005-03-31
Resigned
DONAGHY, Rebecca→
director · ~82y · appointed 2003-12-15 · resigned 2005-03-31
Resigned
STRACHAN, Gordon Robert→
director · ~51y · appointed 2010-04-05 · resigned 2016-12-10
Resigned
STRACHAN, Gordon Robert→
director · ~51y · appointed 2005-03-31 · resigned 2005-12-12
Resigned
STEPHEN MABBOTT LTD.→
corporate-nominee-director · appointed 2003-12-15 · resigned 2003-12-15
Resigned

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

Mortgages & charges

3
Total charges
3
Outstanding
1
Active lenders
Status:Lender:3 of 3 shown
TypeProperties
outstanding
Lloyds Banking Group
Royal Bank of Scotland PLC
Standard security1 property26/01/2010—
outstanding
Lloyds Banking Group
The Royal Bank of Scotland PLC
Standard security1 property15/06/2004—
outstanding
Lloyds Banking Group
The Royal Bank of Scotland PLC
Bond & floating charge1 property04/03/2004—
Click column headers to sort. Use filters above to narrow by status and lender.

Recent filings (80 total)

appoint-person-director-company-with-name-date
officers · AP01
2025-10-30
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-09-16
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2025-07-28
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2024-12-19
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-10-07
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2023-11-09
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-11-07
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-10-19
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-12-22
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2022-07-04
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2021-12-15
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2021-12-07
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2021-02-16
change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
2021-02-16
capital-allotment-shares
capital · SH01
2021-02-16