LONSDALE NURSERY LTD
🌳Matureactive
SC372028 · ltd · incorporated 2010-01-29
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
hardening · 12-months
Already tight — no obvious softening catalysts on the horizon.
- · Thesis: well-run, low negotiation leverage
🔒Estimated value
—
Upgrade to see
Turnover
—
year to Jul 2024
Net worth
£52.3k
book net assets
Opportunity
82/100
Exceptional
What this business does
Primary activity: Primary education
Sector: Education
Investor take
PursueActive trading company with a 71-year-old founder — textbook succession opportunity.
Opportunity 82/100 (exceptional), bankability 80/100. Strong seller-intent signal (83/100, director aged 71). Share purchase looks the cleaner deal structure. Biggest value-creation lever: Cash flow review and working-capital discipline. Cash down -55% YoY — forensic review of receivables, stock turns, and creditor days. Most likely exit: share sale to pe / searcher (73/100).
🏦
Refinance opportunity
1 live charge · oldest 15.5y
45/100
under pressure
Refinance would be pressure-driven, not opportunity-driven. Expect tighter margins and covenant scrutiny.
- · Oldest live charge is 15.5 years old — likely at or near maturity.
- · Single lender — cleanest path to refinance.
- · Cashflow trend is negative — lender view likely cautious.
Data confidence
Overall: high (80/100)Strong data coverage across all sections. AI outputs should be trusted with minimal caveats.
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
5 officers (2 active, 5 linked, 3 with DOB)
82
Ownership & PSC
2 active PSC(s) of 2 total, 2 with control declared
90
Director network
5 connected companies via shared directors
60
Filing history
59 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 declaredPositive net assets
Net assets £52,291
Net assets shrinking
Down £794 YoY
Cash draining
Cash down 55% YoY
Cash YoY
-55%
Year on year
Key financials
2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accountsCash
£27k
↓ 55% YoY
Net Worth
£52k
↓ 1.5% YoY
Current Assets
£87k
↓ 2.8% YoY
Current Liabilities
—
Hover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series
Financials
Extracted from Companies House accounts · accounting standard unknown| Metric | 2024-07-31 | 2023-07-31 |
|---|---|---|
| Total assets | £52.4k | £53.2k |
| Current assets | £87.4k | £90.0k |
| Cash | £27.2k | £60.8k |
| Debtors | £60.2k | £29.2k |
| Net assets | £52.3k | £53.1k |
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
2
filings
- • 1 confirmation-statement
- • 1 officers
Last 90 days
2
filings
- • 1 confirmation-statement
- • 1 officers
Last 180 days
2
filings
- • 1 confirmation-statement
- • 1 officers
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (26 events)Click to expand
- 2026-04-08📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2025-07-28📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2024-04-24📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2023-07-27📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2022-10-25📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2022-10-25📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2022-10-25📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2022-10-25📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2022-07-28📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2021-06-03📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2020-07-28📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2019-04-26📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2018-04-26📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2018-02-20📄capital-name-of-class-of-sharescapital · SH08
- 2018-02-20📄capital-cancellation-sharescapital · SH06
- 2018-02-20📄resolutionresolution · RESOLUTIONS
- 2010-11-05🔒Charge registered #1Lender: Royal Bank of Scotland PLC
- 2010-01-29🏢Company incorporatedAs LONSDALE NURSERY LTD
- 2010-01-29➕CAWTHORNE, Susan appointeddirector
- 2010-01-29➕DODDS, Harold appointeddirector
- 2010-01-29➕COSEC LIMITED appointedcorporate-secretary
- 2010-01-29➖COSEC LIMITED resignedcorporate-secretary
- 2010-01-29➕MCMEEKIN, James Stuart appointeddirector
- 2010-01-29➖MCMEEKIN, James Stuart resigneddirector
- 2010-01-29➕COSEC LIMITED appointedcorporate-director
- 2010-01-29➖COSEC LIMITED resignedcorporate-director
Owner dependency
83/100
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.
- +Long-tenure founder: Senior director has been in place 16 years — deep operational knowledge concentrated in one person.
- +Founder age: Director aged approximately 71 — succession pressure is live.
Succession & seller-readiness
89/100
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 71 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 16 years.
- secondaryStable-but-static management: Company is 16 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
2 active beneficial owners · dominant holder ≥75%| Name | Shares | Voting rights | Nature of control | Notified |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Mr Harold Dodds Individual · British · DOB 04/1955 · age 71 | 75–100% | 75–100% | board control75-100% shares · 75-100% voting · board control | 06/04/2016 |
Mrs Susan Cawthorne Individual · British · DOB 12/1958 · age 68 | — | — | board controlboard control | 06/04/2016 |
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 →Similar companies
Active · Education & training · G postcode area| Company | Est. value | Turnover | Net worth | Staff | Age | Opp | Director |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LEARNING EAST KILBRIDE LTD→ SC692566 · est 2021 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 5y | — | — |
| LINGO FLAMINGO→ SC504000 · est 2015 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 10y | — | — |
| LITTLE ACADEMICS LTD→ SC786867 · est 2023 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 2y | — | — |
| LOMOND ADHD SERVICES C.I.C.→ SC862254 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| LOMOND SCHOOL LIMITED→ SC060091 · est 1976 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 49y | — | — |
| LONGLUNCH LIMITED→ SC281620 · est 2005 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 21y | — | — |
| LOUISE LINGGO LIMITED→ SC847844 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| LOVES TO LINE DANCE LTD→ SC860306 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| LUCULENT LEARNING LTD→ SC595303 · est 2018 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 7y | — | — |
| LULU MARIA FUN SPANISH LTD→ SC699763 · est 2021 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 4y | — | — |
| LYNCH YORK LTD→ SC666814 · est 2020 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 5y | — | — |
| M B ASSESSORS LTD→ SC692150 · est 2021 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 5y | — | — |
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
Incorporated2010-01-29
Jurisdictionscotland
Primary SIC85200 — Primary education
Registered office
6th Floor Gordon Chambers
90 Mitchell Street
Glasgow
G1 3NQ
Filing status
Accounts
Next due: 2026-07-28
Last made up to: 2024-07-31
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2027-02-12
Last: 2026-01-29
Officers (2 active · 3 resigned)
CAWTHORNE, Susan→
Activedirector · ~68y · appointed 2010-01-29
View their other companies + combined net worth →
DODDS, Harold→
Activedirector · ~71y · appointed 2010-01-29
View their other companies + combined net worth →
COSEC LIMITED→
Resignedcorporate-secretary · appointed 2010-01-29 · resigned 2010-01-29
MCMEEKIN, James Stuart→
Resigneddirector · ~59y · appointed 2010-01-29 · resigned 2010-01-29
COSEC LIMITED→
Resignedcorporate-director · appointed 2010-01-29 · resigned 2010-01-29
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 | Lloyds Banking Group Royal Bank of Scotland PLC | Legal charge | 1 property | 05/11/2010 | — |
Click column headers to sort. Use filters above to narrow by status and lender.
Recent filings (59 total)
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2026-04-08
change-person-director-company-with-change-date
officers · CH01
2026-04-08
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2025-07-28
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-01-29
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2024-04-24
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-01-29
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2023-07-27
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-01-30
change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
2022-10-25
change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
2022-10-25
change-person-director-company-with-change-date
officers · CH01
2022-10-25
change-person-director-company-with-change-date
officers · CH01
2022-10-25
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2022-07-28
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-01-31
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2021-06-03