THE DARK SKY OBSERVATORY

🌳Matureactive

SC399758 · private-limited-guarant-nsc-limited-exemption · incorporated 2011-05-18

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 May 2025

Net worth

—

book net assets

Opportunity

78/100

Strong

🔒Generate AI memo →🔒Outreach pack →🔒Corporate story →📑 Reports →Sign in to watch

What this business does

Primary activity: Other education n.e.c.

Sector: Education

ALSO REGISTERED FOR

93290Other amusement and recreation activities n.e.c.

Investor take

Pursue

Active trading company with a 83-year-old founder — textbook succession opportunity.

Opportunity 78/100 (strong), bankability 75/100. Strong seller-intent signal (63/100, director aged 83). Share purchase looks the cleaner deal structure. Most likely exit: share sale to pe / searcher (65/100).

Data confidence

Overall: high (81/100)

Strong data coverage across all sections. AI outputs should be trusted with minimal caveats.

Company profile

address, 2 SIC codes, incorporation date

100

Financials

2 years of iXBRL accounts extracted (YoY deltas available) + narrative notes parsed

Lenders & charges

Confirmed no charges registered

Directors & officers

14 officers (4 active, 14 linked, 13 with DOB)

Ownership & PSC

0 active PSC(s) of 1 total, 1 with control declared

Director network

7 connected companies via shared directors

Filing history

60 filings on record

Gazette notices

No matching gazette notices (standard for active companies)

Opportunity Score

78/100Strong

PassWatchWorth a lookStrongExceptional

Solid opportunity signal. Worth a dedicated memo and management meeting.

Business quality

Active, clean filings, stable charge profile.

Acquirability

Strong succession / seller-readiness signals.

Risk profile

Few red flags.

Signal strength

Good data coverage for analysis.

Key financials

2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accounts

Cash

—

Net Worth

—

Current Assets

—

Current Liabilities

—

Hover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series

Financials

Extracted from Companies House accounts · FRS 102

Metric	2025-05-31	2024-05-31
Average employees	1	100

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

filings

Last 90 days

filings

Last 180 days

filing

• 1 accounts

Counts from Companies House filing history.

Corporate timeline (44 events)Click to expand

2025-12-18
📄
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2025-06-12
➕
SCOBIE, Alistair William appointed
director
2025-06-12
📄
appoint-person-director-company-with-name-date
officers · AP01
2024-12-18
📄
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2024-02-27
📄
accounts-with-accounts-type-full
accounts · AA
2023-10-05
➖
KLIMEK, Mark Henry resigned
director
2023-10-05
📄
termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date
officers · TM01
2023-08-09
📄
resolution
resolution · RESOLUTIONS
2023-08-09
📄
memorandum-articles
incorporation · MA
2023-07-23
📄
change-person-director-company-with-change-date
officers · CH01
2023-06-27
📄
termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date
officers · TM01
2023-06-26
➖
PARKER, Dawn Isobel Carson resigned
director
2023-03-05
📄
change-person-director-company-with-change-date
officers · CH01
2023-03-05
📄
change-person-director-company-with-change-date
officers · CH01
2023-03-05
📄
change-person-director-company-with-change-date
officers · CH01
2023-03-05
📄
change-person-director-company-with-change-date
officers · CH01
2023-03-05
📄
change-person-director-company-with-change-date
officers · CH01
2023-02-22
📄
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2022-02-23
📄
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2021-07-05
📍
change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-address
address · AD01
2021-02-26
📄
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2020-08-05
📄
termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date
officers · TM01
2020-07-16
➖
GIBSON, John Mark resigned
director
2019-11-28
➕
CHARRON, Marc-Andre appointed
director
2019-11-28
➖
JOHNSTONE, Anne Provan Scott resigned
director
2019-11-14
➕
KENNERLEY, Peter Dilworth appointed
director
2015-11-02
➕
KLIMEK, Mark Henry appointed
director
2015-11-02
➕
PARKER, Dawn Isobel Carson appointed
director
2013-12-17
➖
ANDERSON, Colin resigned
secretary
2013-12-17
➖
ANDERSON, Colin David resigned
director
2013-07-15
➖
HICKS, Simon Eric, Dr resigned
director
2013-06-04
➕
MARTIN, Nicholas John, Dr appointed
director
2013-05-20
➖
MUIR, Keith resigned
director
2012-12-06
➖
STEWART, Elaine Orr resigned
director
2012-07-23
➖
O'ROURKE, Patrick Denis resigned
director
2011-05-18
🏢
Company incorporated
As THE DARK SKY OBSERVATORY
2011-05-18
➕
ANDERSON, Colin appointed
secretary
2011-05-18
➕
ANDERSON, Colin David appointed
director
2011-05-18
➕
GIBSON, John Mark appointed
director
2011-05-18
➕
HICKS, Simon Eric, Dr appointed
director
2011-05-18
➕
JOHNSTONE, Anne Provan Scott appointed
director
2011-05-18
➕
MUIR, Keith appointed
director
2011-05-18
➕
O'ROURKE, Patrick Denis appointed
director
2011-05-18
➕
STEWART, Elaine Orr appointed
director

Owner dependency

55/100

Moderate — manageable with handover

Some founder dependency, but not acute. A structured handover period should cover most risk.

FACTORS

-4 active directors: Broader management team in place — suggests transferable governance.
+Founder age: Director aged approximately 83 — succession pressure is live.

Succession & seller-readiness

73/100

Strong succession signal

Multiple signals suggest succession is on the horizon. Candidate for proactive outreach.

SIGNALS

primaryFounder aged 70+: Senior director is approximately 83 years old. Natural succession window is now.
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

clean

No red flags detected from available public data. (This is not a clean bill of health — detailed accounts review still recommended.)

🔒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 · KA postcode area

Company	Est. value	Turnover	Net worth	Staff	Age	Opp	Director
FRIENDS OF PORTENCROSS CASTLE→ SC186097 · est 1998	—	—	£83.5k	—	27y	83	79y
GALLOWAY TRAINING LIMITED→ SC121428 · est 1989 · no financials extracted	—	—	—	—	36y	83	79y
WELLINGTON SCHOOL (AYR) LIMITED→ SC026589 · est 1948	—	—	£4.21M	—	77y	83	82y
MINDSTORE INTERNATIONAL LIMITED→ SC270146 · est 2004	—	—	£1.16M	—	21y	82	71y
RAINBOW COTTAGE NURSERY LIMITED→ SC282206 · est 2005	—	—	—	30	21y	82	78y
BENSLIE TRAINING LIMITED→ SC365040 · est 2009	—	—	—	—	16y	81	62y
THE YOUNG PROGRAMME LIMITED→ SC282589 · est 2005	—	—	£152.1k	—	21y	81	68y
CRAIGHEAD NURSERIES LTD→ SC521313 · est 2015	—	—	£89.8k	—	10y	80	75y
SMART SOLUTIONS SCOTLAND LIMITED→ SC262136 · est 2004	—	—	£834	—	22y	80	62y
CRAIGIE DEVELOPMENT LIMITED→ SC094927 · est 1985	—	—	—	0	40y	79	89y
RHET CLYDE→ SC257207 · est 2003 · no financials extracted	—	—	—	—	22y	79	80y
PROGRESSIVE TOUCHES FA LTD→ SC877977 · est 2026 · no financials extracted	—	—	—	—	—	—	—

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

Typeprivate-limited-guarant-nsc-limited-exemption

Incorporated2011-05-18

Jurisdictionscotland

Primary SIC85590 — Other education n.e.c.

Registered office

The Dark Sky Observatory Ltd C/O Azets

3 Wellington Square

Ayr

South Ayrshire

KA7 1EN

Scotland

Filing status

Accounts

Next due: 2027-02-28

Last made up to: 2025-05-31

Confirmation statement

Next due: 2026-06-01

Last: 2025-05-18

Officers (4 active · 10 resigned)

CHARRON, Marc-Andre→

director · ~69y · appointed 2019-11-28

View their other companies + combined net worth →

Active

KENNERLEY, Peter Dilworth→

director · ~70y · appointed 2019-11-14

View their other companies + combined net worth →

Active

MARTIN, Nicholas John, Dr→

director · ~83y · appointed 2013-06-04

View their other companies + combined net worth →

Active

SCOBIE, Alistair William→

director · ~60y · appointed 2025-06-12

View their other companies + combined net worth →

Active

ANDERSON, Colin→

secretary · appointed 2011-05-18 · resigned 2013-12-17

Resigned

ANDERSON, Colin David→

director · ~65y · appointed 2011-05-18 · resigned 2013-12-17

Resigned

GIBSON, John Mark→

director · ~75y · appointed 2011-05-18 · resigned 2020-07-16

Resigned

HICKS, Simon Eric, Dr→

director · ~62y · appointed 2011-05-18 · resigned 2013-07-15

Resigned

JOHNSTONE, Anne Provan Scott→

director · ~94y · appointed 2011-05-18 · resigned 2019-11-28

Resigned

KLIMEK, Mark Henry→

director · ~65y · appointed 2015-11-02 · resigned 2023-10-05

Resigned

MUIR, Keith→

director · ~63y · appointed 2011-05-18 · resigned 2013-05-20

Resigned

O'ROURKE, Patrick Denis→

director · ~77y · appointed 2011-05-18 · resigned 2012-07-23

Resigned

PARKER, Dawn Isobel Carson→

director · ~55y · appointed 2015-11-02 · resigned 2023-06-26

Resigned

STEWART, Elaine Orr→

director · ~61y · appointed 2011-05-18 · resigned 2012-12-06

Resigned

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

Recent filings (60 total)

accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full

accounts · AA

2025-12-18

appoint-person-director-company-with-name-date

officers · AP01

2025-06-12

confirmation-statement-with-no-updates

confirmation-statement · CS01

2025-05-18

accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full

accounts · AA

2024-12-18

confirmation-statement-with-no-updates

confirmation-statement · CS01

2024-05-18

accounts-with-accounts-type-full

accounts · AA

2024-02-27

termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date

officers · TM01

2023-10-05

resolution

resolution · RESOLUTIONS

2023-08-09

memorandum-articles

incorporation · MA

2023-08-09

change-person-director-company-with-change-date

officers · CH01

2023-07-23

termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date

officers · TM01

2023-06-27

confirmation-statement-with-no-updates

confirmation-statement · CS01

2023-05-18

change-person-director-company-with-change-date

officers · CH01

2023-03-05

change-person-director-company-with-change-date

officers · CH01

2023-03-05

change-person-director-company-with-change-date

officers · CH01

2023-03-05