| REGISTERED NUMBER: |
| Lower Hope Fruit Limited |
| Unaudited Financial Statements |
| for the Year Ended 28 February 2025 |
| REGISTERED NUMBER: |
| Lower Hope Fruit Limited |
| Unaudited Financial Statements |
| for the Year Ended 28 February 2025 |
| Lower Hope Fruit Limited (Registered number: 03383099) |
| Contents of the Financial Statements |
| for the Year Ended 28 February 2025 |
| Page |
| Company Information | 1 |
| Chartered Accountants' Report | 2 |
| Balance Sheet | 3 |
| Notes to the Financial Statements | 5 |
| Lower Hope Fruit Limited |
| Company Information |
| for the Year Ended 28 February 2025 |
| DIRECTORS: |
| SECRETARY: |
| REGISTERED OFFICE: |
| REGISTERED NUMBER: |
| ACCOUNTANTS: |
| trading as The Hutchinson Partnership |
| Chartered Accountants |
| The Bull Pen |
| Grove Farm |
| Portway, Burghill |
| Hereford |
| HR4 8NF |
| BANKERS: |
| 35 High Street |
| Hereford |
| Herefordshire |
| HR1 2AQ |
| SOLICITORS: |
| 48 Broadway |
| Peterborough |
| PE1 1YW |
| Chartered Accountants' Report to the Board of Directors |
| on the Unaudited Financial Statements of |
| Lower Hope Fruit Limited |
| The following reproduces the text of the report prepared for the directors in respect of the company's annual unaudited financial statements. In accordance with the Companies Act 2006, the company is only required to file a Balance Sheet. Readers are cautioned that the Statement of Income and Retained Earnings and certain other primary statements and the Report of the Directors are not required to be filed with the Registrar of Companies. |
| In order to assist you to fulfil your duties under the Companies Act 2006, we have prepared for your approval the financial statements of Lower Hope Fruit Limited for the year ended 28 February 2025 which comprise the Statement of Income and Retained Earnings, Balance Sheet and the related notes from the company's accounting records and from information and explanations you have given us. |
| As a practising member firm of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW), we are subject to its ethical and other professional requirements which are detailed within the ICAEW's regulations and guidance at http://www.icaew.com/en/membership/regulations-standards-and-guidance. |
| This report is made solely to the Board of Directors of Lower Hope Fruit Limited, as a body, in accordance with our terms of engagement. Our work has been undertaken solely to prepare for your approval the financial statements of Lower Hope Fruit Limited and state those matters that we have agreed to state to the Board of Directors of Lower Hope Fruit Limited, as a body, in this report in accordance with ICAEW Technical Release 07/16AAF. To the fullest extent permitted by law, we do not accept or assume responsibility to anyone other than Lower Hope Fruit Limited and its Board of Directors, as a body, for our work or for this report. |
| It is your duty to ensure that Lower Hope Fruit Limited has kept adequate accounting records and to prepare statutory financial statements that give a true and fair view of the assets, liabilities, financial position and loss of Lower Hope Fruit Limited. You consider that Lower Hope Fruit Limited is exempt from the statutory audit requirement for the year. |
| We have not been instructed to carry out an audit or a review of the financial statements of Lower Hope Fruit Limited. For this reason, we have not verified the accuracy or completeness of the accounting records or information and explanations you have given to us and we do not, therefore, express any opinion on the statutory financial statements. |
| trading as The Hutchinson Partnership |
| Chartered Accountants |
| The Bull Pen |
| Grove Farm |
| Portway, Burghill |
| Hereford |
| HR4 8NF |
| Lower Hope Fruit Limited (Registered number: 03383099) |
| Balance Sheet |
| 28 February 2025 |
| 2025 | 2024 |
| Notes | £ | £ | £ | £ |
| FIXED ASSETS |
| Tangible assets | 4 |
| CURRENT ASSETS |
| Stocks | 5 |
| Debtors | 6 |
| Cash at bank and in hand |
| CREDITORS |
| Amounts falling due within one year | 7 |
| NET CURRENT ASSETS |
| TOTAL ASSETS LESS CURRENT LIABILITIES |
| CREDITORS |
| Amounts falling due after more than one year |
8 |
| NET ASSETS |
| CAPITAL AND RESERVES |
| Allotted, issued and fully paid share capital |
| Retained earnings |
| SHAREHOLDERS' FUNDS |
| The directors acknowledge their responsibilities for: |
| (a) | ensuring that the company keeps accounting records which comply with Sections 386 and 387 of the Companies Act 2006 and |
| (b) | preparing financial statements which give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the company as at the end of each financial year and of its profit or loss for each financial year in accordance with the requirements of Sections 394 and 395 and which otherwise comply with the requirements of the Companies Act 2006 relating to financial statements, so far as applicable to the company. |
| Lower Hope Fruit Limited (Registered number: 03383099) |
| Balance Sheet - continued |
| 28 February 2025 |
| The financial statements were approved by the Board of Directors and authorised for issue on |
| Lower Hope Fruit Limited (Registered number: 03383099) |
| Notes to the Financial Statements |
| for the Year Ended 28 February 2025 |
| 1. | STATUTORY INFORMATION |
| Lower Hope Fruit Limited is a |
| 2. | ACCOUNTING POLICIES |
| Basis of preparing the financial statements |
| Going concern |
| The company is reviewing its fruit enterprises in light of market conditions with a focus on long-term profitability. With management, maintenance and investment the fruit plantations have the potential to produce a sufficient quantity of fruit to generate a profit, subject to the impact of weather and market conditions. The company plans to continue meeting its working capital requirements through a combination of overdraft facilities and loans from other entities controlled by the directors. The overdraft facility has been agreed until 30 April 2026. |
| The directors have considered the financial requirements of the company and consider that it will be able to operate within its agreed financial facilities for the next 12 months. The directors therefore consider it appropriate to prepare accounts on the going concern basis. |
| Turnover |
| Turnover represents fruit sales, wreath sales, rental income and contract and pack house income stated net of discounts, rebates, value added tax and other sales taxes. |
| The company recognises revenue when the significant risks and rewards of ownership have passed to the buyer, when the amount of revenue can be measured reliably, when it is probable that the economic benefits associated with the transaction will flow to the entity and when the costs incurred or to be incurred in respect of the transaction can be measured reliably. Revenue from services is recognised in the accounting periods in which the services are rendered. |
| The following criteria must be met before revenue is recognised: |
| Fruit sales are recognised when the fruit is collected from the farm, with the exception of apples that are sold on consignments and recognised when the agent sells the goods. |
| Wreath sales are recognised when they are collected from the farm. |
| Rental income is recognised when the tenant has occupied the property or has had access to it during the rental period. |
| Contracting and pack house income is recognised in the period the work has been carried out. |
| Tangible fixed assets |
| Land and buildings | - |
| Plant and machinery etc | - |
| Freehold land is not depreciated. |
| Lower Hope Fruit Limited (Registered number: 03383099) |
| Notes to the Financial Statements - continued |
| for the Year Ended 28 February 2025 |
| 2. | ACCOUNTING POLICIES - continued |
| Stocks |
| Stocks and work in progress are valued at the lower of cost and net realisable value, after making due allowance for obsolete and slow moving items. |
| Cost is calculated using the first-in, first-out method and includes all purchase, transport, and handling costs in bringing stocks to their present location and condition. |
| The company has the following biological assets which are valued as follows: |
| Growing crop - valued at the cost of inputs and cultivations up to the period end. |
| Apple and cherry orchards - valued at cost less accumulated depreciation. Depreciation is charged on a straight line basis over the estimated useful life of 10 years. |
| Raspberry plantations - valued at cost less accumulated depreciation. Depreciation is charged on a straight line basis over the estimated useful life of 5 years. New technology means that new, potted, raspberry canes are written off in the year of purchase. |
| Taxation |
| Taxation for the year comprises current and deferred tax. Tax is recognised in the Statement of Income and Retained Earnings, except to the extent that it relates to items recognised in other comprehensive income or directly in equity. |
| Current or deferred taxation assets and liabilities are not discounted. |
| Current tax is recognised at the amount of tax payable using the tax rates and laws that have been enacted or substantively enacted by the balance sheet date. |
| Deferred tax |
| Deferred tax is recognised in respect of all timing differences that have originated but not reversed at the balance sheet date. |
| Timing differences arise from the inclusion of income and expenses in tax assessments in periods different from those in which they are recognised in financial statements. Deferred tax is measured using tax rates and laws that have been enacted or substantively enacted by the year end and that are expected to apply to the reversal of the timing difference. |
| Unrelieved tax losses and other deferred tax assets are recognised only to the extent that it is probable that they will be recovered against the reversal of deferred tax liabilities or other future taxable profits. |
| Foreign currencies |
| Assets and liabilities in foreign currencies are translated into sterling at the rates of exchange ruling at the balance sheet date. Transactions in foreign currencies are translated into sterling at the rate of exchange ruling at the date of transaction. Exchange differences are taken into account in arriving at the operating result. |
| Hire purchase and leasing commitments |
| Assets obtained under hire purchase contracts or finance leases are capitalised in the balance sheet. Those held under hire purchase contracts are depreciated over their useful lives. Those held under finance leases are depreciated over their useful lives or the lease term, whichever is the shorter. |
| The interest elements of these obligations is charged to the profit or loss over the relevant period. The capital element of the future payments is treated as a liability. |
| Rentals paid under operating leases are charged to the profit or loss on a straight line basis over the period of the lease. |
| Lower Hope Fruit Limited (Registered number: 03383099) |
| Notes to the Financial Statements - continued |
| for the Year Ended 28 February 2025 |
| 2. | ACCOUNTING POLICIES - continued |
| Pension costs and other post-retirement benefits |
| The company operates a defined contribution pension scheme. Contributions payable to the company's pension scheme are charged to profit or loss in the period to which they relate. |
| Capital grants |
| Capital grants received are capitalised and amortised to the profit and loss account over a period consistent with the depreciation policy of the fixed asset to which they relate. |
| 3. | EMPLOYEES |
| The average number of employees during the year was |
| 4. | TANGIBLE FIXED ASSETS |
| Tractors |
| Freehold | Plant and | and |
| property | machinery | vehicles | Totals |
| £ | £ | £ | £ |
| COST |
| At 1 March 2024 |
| Additions |
| Disposals | ( |
) | ( |
) |
| At 28 February 2025 |
| DEPRECIATION |
| At 1 March 2024 |
| Charge for year |
| Eliminated on disposal | ( |
) | ( |
) |
| At 28 February 2025 |
| NET BOOK VALUE |
| At 28 February 2025 |
| At 29 February 2024 |
| Included in cost of land and buildings is freehold land of £ 667,831 (2024 - £ 667,831 ) which is not depreciated. |
| The net book value of tangible fixed assets includes £Nil (2024 - £186,800) in respect of assets held under hire purchase contracts. |
| 5. | STOCKS |
| 2025 | 2024 |
| £ | £ |
| Valuation - general | 7,260 | 2,509 |
| Raw materials valuation |
| Growing crop valuation | 142,255 | 169,310 |
| Lower Hope Fruit Limited (Registered number: 03383099) |
| Notes to the Financial Statements - continued |
| for the Year Ended 28 February 2025 |
| 6. | DEBTORS: AMOUNTS FALLING DUE WITHIN ONE YEAR |
| 2025 | 2024 |
| £ | £ |
| Trade debtors |
| Prepayments and accrued income |
| Intercompany loan |
| VAT |
| Deferred tax asset |
| 7. | CREDITORS: AMOUNTS FALLING DUE WITHIN ONE YEAR |
| 2025 | 2024 |
| £ | £ |
| Bank loans and overdrafts |
| Hire purchase contracts |
| Trade creditors |
| Social security and other taxes |
| Other creditors |
| Accruals and deferred income |
| Accruals and deferred income includes deferred capital grants of £20,689 (2024 - £21,215). |
| 8. | CREDITORS: AMOUNTS FALLING DUE AFTER MORE THAN ONE YEAR |
| 2025 | 2024 |
| £ | £ |
| Accruals and deferred income |
| Accruals and deferred income includes deferred capital grants of £78,063 (2024 - £98,752). |
| 9. | SECURED DEBTS |
| The following secured debts are included within creditors: |
| 2025 | 2024 |
| £ | £ |
| Bank overdrafts |
| Hire purchase contracts | - | 41,784 |
| The bank overdraft is secured by a debenture dated 28 May 1998 which has a fixed and floating charge over the undertaking and all the property and assets. In addition to this, there is a legal mortgage dated 31 January 2017 in favour of HSBC over the freehold property at Sidnall Farm, Ullingswick, Hereford. |
| Lower Hope Fruit Limited (Registered number: 03383099) |
| Notes to the Financial Statements - continued |
| for the Year Ended 28 February 2025 |
| 10. | DEFERRED TAX |
| £ |
| Balance at 1 March 2024 | ( |
) |
| Provided during year | ( |
) |
| Balance at 28 February 2025 | ( |
) |
| 11. | OTHER FINANCIAL COMMITMENTS |
| At the year end the company had future operating lease commitments of £8,476. |
| At the year end the company was committed to purchases totalling £117,752. |
| 12. | RELATED PARTY DISCLOSURES |
| Included in other creditors is a loan due to an LLP under common control of £Nil (2024 - £51,360). This is interest free and repayable on demand. The LLP also rents arable land from the Company. |
| Included in other debtors is a loan due to an LLP under common control of £88,065. Interest has been charged on the loan at 2.25%. This loan is unsecured and repayable on demand. |