The directors present the strategic report for the year ended 30 June 2025.

Stortford Interiors (UK) Ltd are an Architectural Package Contractor, who undertake a range of specialist internal finishes works on projects. We primarily focus on drywall and ceilings, joinery and washroom fit-out packages. The business is able to provide a single service solution or provide a wider multi-discipline offering.

For the financial year 24/25, the company achieved a turnover of circa £45.3 million. Nett profits of circa £2.32m were above Board expectations and driven by improved margins on newer projects through robust contract selection and consistent project delivery, a strong net interest receivable position due to an improved cash balance and a reduction in annual insurance costs.

Stortford Interiors (UK) Ltd have continued to add to its established portfolio of high-quality projects from our deep pool of reputable new and existing Tier 1 Main Contractor clients. Our broad client base reduces over-dependency and enhances opportunity. At the time of writing the current secured order book for Financial Years 2025/26, 2026/27 stands at c.£67 million with further good project visibility advised by our clients for 2025/26 onwards. This will bolster our healthy order book and provide a robust and secure position to weather potential market challenges.

The business strategy of maintaining and building upon the valued relationships with our 'blue chip' clients and the appropriate operation in a diverse range of market sectors - with a wide range of service specialisms- has continued to be successful and will prove vital as we reinforce our strong reputation and consolidate market presence.

We follow robust client selection / exposure criteria that ensure we are not over reliant on any one client, and consequentially we have not been directly impacted by the administrations of a number of high profile Main Contractors within the sector. The appropriate selection of revenue streams has enabled us to add new sustainable and reliable clients to our portfolio to supplement our existing client pool and add resilience to our business model.

The Board recognise the risks facing the business continue to evolve and at the time of writing the principal risks identified are inflation, securing turnover at the correct margin in a competitive and complicated market, the threat of ongoing skilled labour shortages and global economic uncertainty.

Project deferment and project overruns / prolongation continue to be a risk within the industry for a number of reasons such as protracted client decision making, borrowing costs uncertainty and the impact of the Building Safety Act etc. This has contributed to the company generating a reduced turnover in FY 24/25 against our targeted turnover for the FY. The reluctance to get embroiled in a short-termist ‘race to the bottom’ mentality also impacted turnover for the FY, however, this reduction was counteracted by improved margins on newer projects so as not to impact the nett return for the FY.

The Board maintain and review a Strategic Risk Register of the business to ensure the risk management strategy is fully reviewed and implemented on a monthly basis.

The company's strategy of agility, flexibility and working with clients and customers that value our culture, diverse product and service / delivery models and can provide sustainable revenue streams will be maintained going-forward. The strategy of positioning Stortford Interiors (UK) Ltd across numerous construction sectors with a variety of Tier 1 customers who operate in both public and private markets has been successful and will be continued.

Significant progress has been made in both our corporate social responsibility engagement and our environmental obligations. The company has a strong green road-map and defined Science Based Targets (3rd Party verified). The business is committed to improving its carbon footprint with a multitude of green initiatives and is PAS 2060 and Carbon Footprint ISO 14064-1 verified. A business commitment and continual improvement plan are in place to maintain momentum in this area.

The company is committed to maintaining its ongoing accreditations and is currently ISO 9001, 14001 and 45001 accredited. We also hold Building Confidence – Achilles, Constructionline – Gold and BS ESISO 19650-2 BIM Certificate of Conformity. Our investment in our staff and their mental health and wellbeing remains strong and focussed and we maintain our Investor in People Gold and We Invest in Wellbeing accreditations. In the period the company also achieved the internationally recognised RoSPA Gold Award for Health and Safety performance at the first attempt, and this is something that we will be looking to achieve again in subsequent years.

Whilst market workload can fluctuate the business’s secured pipeline and wide opportunity pool will provide it with a sound platform and enable it to grow and prosper in the coming financial years.

Gross Profit Margin:

June 2025: 14.5% (2024: 12.9%)

Net Profit Margin (Before tax):

June 2025: 6.8% (2024: 4.4%)

Liquidity (current ratio):

June 2025: 1.44 (2024: 1.5)

On behalf of the board

The directors present their annual report and financial statements for the year ended 30 June 2025.

The principal activity of the company continued to be that of service providers and installers of commercial

interiors.

At the year ended 30 June 2025, dividends of £1,640,000 were in issue (2024: £1,037,000).

The directors who held office during the year and up to the date of signature of the financial statements were as follows:

The auditors, Affinia Limited (Chelmsford), wlill be proposed for re-appointment at the forthcoming Annual General Meeting.

The directors are responsible for preparing the annual report and the financial statements in accordance with applicable law and regulations.

Company law requires the directors to prepare financial statements for each financial year. Under that law the directors have elected to prepare the financial statements in accordance with United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice (United Kingdom Accounting Standards and applicable law). Under company law, the directors must not approve the financial statements unless they are satisfied that they give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the company and of the profit or loss of the company for that period.

In preparing these financial statements, the directors are required to:

• select suitable accounting policies and then apply them consistently;

• make judgements and accounting estimates that are reasonable and prudent; and

• prepare the financial statements on the going concern basis unless it is inappropriate to presume that the company will continue in business.

The directors are responsible for keeping adequate accounting records that are sufficient to show and explain the company’s transactions and disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the company and enable them to ensure that the financial statements comply with the Companies Act 2006. They are also responsible for safeguarding the assets of the company and hence for taking reasonable steps for the prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities.

So far as each person who was a director at the date of approving this report is aware, there is no relevant audit information of which the company’s auditor is unaware. Additionally, the directors individually have taken all the necessary steps that they ought to have taken as directors in order to make themselves aware of all relevant audit information and to establish that the company’s auditor is aware of that information.

This report has been prepared in accordance with the provisions applicable to companies entitled to the medium-sized companies exemption.

We have audited the financial statements of Stortford Interiors (UK) Limited (the 'company') for the year ended 30 June 2025 which comprise the statement of comprehensive income, the statement of financial position, the statement of changes in equity and notes to the financial statements, including significant accounting policies. The financial reporting framework that has been applied in their preparation is applicable law and United Kingdom Accounting Standards, including Financial Reporting Standard 102 The Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice).

In our opinion the financial statements:

• give a true and fair view of the state of the company's affairs as at 30 June 2025 and of its profit for the year then ended;

• have been properly prepared in accordance with United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice; and

• have been prepared in accordance with the requirements of the Companies Act 2006.

Basis for opinion

We conducted our audit in accordance with International Standards on Auditing (UK) (ISAs (UK)) and applicable law. Our responsibilities under those standards are further described in the Auditor's responsibilities for the audit of the financial statements section of our report. We are independent of the company in accordance with the ethical requirements that are relevant to our audit of the financial statements in the UK, including the FRC’s Ethical Standard, and we have fulfilled our other ethical responsibilities in accordance with these requirements. We believe that the audit evidence we have obtained is sufficient and appropriate to provide a basis for our opinion.

Conclusions relating to going concern

In auditing the financial statements, we have concluded that the directors' use of the going concern basis of accounting in the preparation of the financial statements is appropriate.

Based on the work we have performed, we have not identified any material uncertainties relating to events or conditions that, individually or collectively, may cast significant doubt on the company's ability to continue as a going concern for a period of at least twelve months from when the financial statements are authorised for issue.

Our responsibilities and the responsibilities of the directors with respect to going concern are described in the relevant sections of this report.

Other information

The other information comprises the information included in the annual report other than the financial statements and our auditor's report thereon. The directors are responsible for the other information contained within the annual report. Our opinion on the financial statements does not cover the other information and, except to the extent otherwise explicitly stated in our report, we do not express any form of assurance conclusion thereon. Our responsibility is to read the other information and, in doing so, consider whether the other information is materially inconsistent with the financial statements or our knowledge obtained in the course of the audit, or otherwise appears to be materially misstated. If we identify such material inconsistencies or apparent material misstatements, we are required to determine whether this gives rise to a material misstatement in the financial statements themselves. If, based on the work we have performed, we conclude that there is a material misstatement of this other information, we are required to report that fact.

We have nothing to report in this regard.

Opinions on other matters prescribed by the Companies Act 2006

In our opinion, based on the work undertaken in the course of our audit:

• the information given in the strategic report and the directors' report for the financial year for which the financial statements are prepared is consistent with the financial statements; and

• the strategic report and the directors' report have been prepared in accordance with applicable legal requirements.

In the light of the knowledge and understanding of the company and its environment obtained in the course of the audit, we have not identified material misstatements in the strategic report and the directors' report. We have nothing to report in respect of the following matters in relation to which the Companies Act 2006 requires us to report to you if, in our opinion:

• adequate accounting records have not been kept, or returns adequate for our audit have not been received from branches not visited by us; or

• the financial statements are not in agreement with the accounting records and returns; or

• certain disclosures of directors' remuneration specified by law are not made; or

• we have not received all the information and explanations we require for our audit; or

• the directors were not entitled to prepare the financial statements in accordance with the small companies regime and take advantage of the small companies' exemption in preparing the directors' report.

As explained more fully in the directors' responsibilities statement, the directors are responsible for the preparation of the financial statements and for being satisfied that they give a true and fair view, and for such internal control as the directors determine is necessary to enable the preparation of financial statements that are free from material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error. In preparing the financial statements, the directors are responsible for assessing the company's ability to continue as a going concern, disclosing, as applicable, matters related to going concern and using the going concern basis of accounting unless the directors either intend to liquidate the company or to cease operations, or have no realistic alternative but to do so.

Our objectives are to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements as a whole are free from material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error, and to issue an auditor's report that includes our opinion. Reasonable assurance is a high level of assurance but is not a guarantee that an audit conducted in accordance with ISAs (UK) will always detect a material misstatement when it exists. Misstatements can arise from fraud or error and are considered material if, individually or in the aggregate, they could reasonably be expected to influence the economic decisions of users taken on the basis of these financial statements.

Our approach to identifying and assessing the risks of material misstatement in respect of irregularities, including fraud and non-compliance with laws and regulations, was as follows:

- The engagement partner ensured that the engagement team collectively had the appropriate competence, capabilities and skills to identify non-compliance with applicable laws and regulations;

- We identified the laws and regulations applicable to the company through discussions with directors and other management, and from our commercial knowledge and experience of the contracting sector;

- We focused on specific laws and regulations which we considered may have a direct material effect on the financial statements or the operations of the company, including the Companies Act 2006, taxation legislation, data protection, anti-bribery, employment, environmental and health and safety legislation;

- We assessed the extent of compliance with the laws and regulations identified above through making enquiries of management and inspecting legal correspondence; and

- Identified laws and regulations were communicated within the audit team regularly and the team remained alert to instances of non-compliance throughout the audit.

We assessed the susceptibility of the company's financial statements to material misstatement, including obtaining an understanding of how fraud might occur, by:

- Making enquiries of management as to where they considered there was susceptibility to fraud, their knowledge of actual suspected and alleged fraud; and

- Considering the internal controls in place to mitigate risks of fraud and non-compliance with laws and regulations.

To address the risk of fraud through management bias and override of controls, we:

- Performed analytical procedures to identify any unusual or unexpected relationships;

- Tested journal entries to identify unusual transactions;

- Tested a sample of revenue recognised either side of the period end to ensure revenue had been recognised in the correct period;

- Reviewed the internal controls in place, specifically around payroll and bank transactions;

- Assessed whether judgements and assumptions made in determining the accounting estimates around depreciation, accruals and accrued income were indicative of potential bias; and

- Investigated the rationale behind significant or unusual transactions.

In response to the risk of irregularities and non-compliance with laws and regulations, we designed procedures which included, but were not limited to:

- Agreeing financial statement disclosures to underlying supporting documentation

- Reading the minutes of meetings of those charged with governance;

- Enquiring of management as to actual and potential litigation and claims; and

- Reviewing correspondence with HMRC and the company's legal advisors.

There are inherent limitations in our audit procedures described above. The more removed that laws and regulations are from financial transactions, the less likely it is that we would be ware of non-compliance. Auditing standards also limit the audit procedures required to identify non-compliance with laws and regulations to enquiry of the directors and other management and the inspection of regulatory and legal correspondence, if any.

Material misstatements that arise due to fraud can be harder to detect than those that arise from error as they may involve deliberate concealment or collusion.

A further description of our responsibilities is available on the Financial Reporting Council’s website at: https://www.frc.org.uk/auditorsresponsibilities. This description forms part of our auditor's report.

Use of our report

This report is made solely to the company's members, as a body, in accordance with Chapter 3 of Part 16 of the Companies Act 2006. Our audit work has been undertaken so that we might state to the company's members those matters we are required to state to them in an auditor's report and for no other purpose. To the fullest extent permitted by law, we do not accept or assume responsibility to anyone other than the company and the company's members as a body, for our audit work, for this report, or for the opinions we have formed.

The income statement has been prepared on the basis that all operations are continuing operations.

These financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the provisions relating to medium-sized companies.

Stortford Interiors (UK) Limited is a private company limited by shares incorporated in England and Wales. The registered office is Stortford House, 231 London Road, Bishop'S Stortford, Hertfordshire, CM23 3LA.

These financial statements have been prepared in accordance with Financial Reporting Standard 102 "The Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland" and the Companies Act 2006.

The financial statements are prepared in sterling, which is the functional currency of the company. Monetary amounts in these financial statements are rounded to the nearest £.

The financial statements have been prepared under the historical cost convention. The principal accounting policies adopted are set out below.

Related party exemption

The company has taken advantage of exemption, under the terms of Financial Reporting Standard 102 'The Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland', not to disclose related party transactions with wholly owned subsidiaries within the group.

Financial Reporting Standard 102 - reduced disclosure exemptions

The company has taken advantage of the following disclosure exemption in preparing these financial statements, as permitted by FRS 102 "The Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland":

• the requirements of Section 7 Statement of Cash Flows.

Turnover comprises the fair value of construction carried out in the year, based on an internal assessment of work carried out and based on time incurred and materials utilised or percentage of completion depending on the nature of the contract. Once the outcome of a contract can be estimated reliably, margin is recognised in the Statement of Income on a stage of contract completion basis by reference to the costs incurred to date and total forecast costs on the contract as a whole. Costs include labour and attributable overheads.

Losses expected in bringing a contract to completion are recognised immediately. Where the outcome of claims is uncertain, the company only recognised revenue and the associated margin where it is probable that the client will approve the variation.

Tangible fixed assets are initially measured at cost and subsequently measured at cost or valuation, net of depreciation and any impairment losses.

Depreciation is recognised so as to write off the cost or valuation of assets less their residual values over their useful lives on the following bases:

The gain or loss arising on the disposal of an asset is determined as the difference between the sale proceeds and the carrying value of the asset, and is credited or charged to profit or loss.

Interests in subsidiaries, associates and jointly controlled entities are initially measured at cost and subsequently measured at cost less any accumulated impairment losses. The investments are assessed for impairment at each reporting date and any impairment losses or reversals of impairment losses are recognised immediately in profit or loss.

A subsidiary is an entity controlled by the company. Control is the power to govern the financial and operating policies of the entity so as to obtain benefits from its activities.

An associate is an entity, being neither a subsidiary nor a joint venture, in which the company holds a long-term interest and where the company has significant influence. The company considers that it has significant influence where it has the power to participate in the financial and operating decisions of the associate.

Entities in which the company has a long term interest and shares control under a contractual arrangement are classified as jointly controlled entities.

At each reporting period end date, the company reviews the carrying amounts of its tangible assets to determine whether there is any indication that those assets have suffered an impairment loss. If any such indication exists, the recoverable amount of the asset is estimated in order to determine the extent of the impairment loss (if any). Where it is not possible to estimate the recoverable amount of an individual asset, the company estimates the recoverable amount of the cash-generating unit to which the asset belongs.

Recoverable amount is the higher of fair value less costs to sell and value in use. In assessing value in use, the estimated future cash flows are discounted to their present value using a pre-tax discount rate that reflects current market assessments of the time value of money and the risks specific to the asset for which the estimates of future cash flows have not been adjusted.

If the recoverable amount of an asset (or cash-generating unit) is estimated to be less than its carrying amount, the carrying amount of the asset (or cash-generating unit) is reduced to its recoverable amount. An impairment loss is recognised immediately in profit or loss, unless the relevant asset is carried at a revalued amount, in which case the impairment loss is treated as a revaluation decrease.

Recognised impairment losses are reversed if, and only if, the reasons for the impairment loss have ceased to apply. Where an impairment loss subsequently reverses, the carrying amount of the asset (or cash-generating unit) is increased to the revised estimate of its recoverable amount, but so that the increased carrying amount does not exceed the carrying amount that would have been determined had no impairment loss been recognised for the asset (or cash-generating unit) in prior years. A reversal of an impairment loss is recognised immediately in profit or loss, unless the relevant asset is carried at a revalued amount, in which case the reversal of the impairment loss is treated as a revaluation increase.

Cash and cash equivalents are basic financial assets and include cash in hand, deposits held at call with banks, other short-term liquid investments with original maturities of three months or less, and bank overdrafts. Bank overdrafts are shown within borrowings in current liabilities.

The company has elected to apply the provisions of Section 11 ‘Basic Financial Instruments’ and Section 12 ‘Other Financial Instruments Issues’ of FRS 102 to all of its financial instruments.

Financial instruments are recognised in the company's statement of financial position when the company becomes party to the contractual provisions of the instrument.

Financial assets and liabilities are offset, with the net amounts presented in the financial statements, when there is a legally enforceable right to set off the recognised amounts and there is an intention to settle on a net basis or to realise the asset and settle the liability simultaneously.

Basic financial assets, which include debtors and cash and bank balances, are initially measured at transaction price including transaction costs and are subsequently carried at amortised cost using the effective interest method unless the arrangement constitutes a financing transaction, where the transaction is measured at the present value of the future receipts discounted at a market rate of interest. Financial assets classified as receivable within one year are not amortised.

Other financial assets, including investments in equity instruments which are not subsidiaries, associates or joint ventures, are initially measured at fair value, which is normally the transaction price. Such assets are subsequently carried at fair value and the changes in fair value are recognised in profit or loss, except that investments in equity instruments that are not publicly traded and whose fair values cannot be measured reliably are measured at cost less impairment.

Financial assets, other than those held at fair value through profit and loss, are assessed for indicators of impairment at each reporting end date.

Financial assets are impaired where there is objective evidence that, as a result of one or more events that occurred after the initial recognition of the financial asset, the estimated future cash flows have been affected. If an asset is impaired, the impairment loss is the difference between the carrying amount and the present value of the estimated cash flows discounted at the asset’s original effective interest rate. The impairment loss is recognised in profit or loss.

If there is a decrease in the impairment loss arising from an event occurring after the impairment was recognised, the impairment is reversed. The reversal is such that the current carrying amount does not exceed what the carrying amount would have been, had the impairment not previously been recognised. The impairment reversal is recognised in profit or loss.

Financial assets are derecognised only when the contractual rights to the cash flows from the asset expire or are settled, or when the company transfers the financial asset and substantially all the risks and rewards of ownership to another entity, or if some significant risks and rewards of ownership are retained but control of the asset has transferred to another party that is able to sell the asset in its entirety to an unrelated third party.

Financial liabilities and equity instruments are classified according to the substance of the contractual arrangements entered into. An equity instrument is any contract that evidences a residual interest in the assets of the company after deducting all of its liabilities.

Basic financial liabilities, including creditors, bank loans, loans from fellow group companies and preference shares that are classified as debt, are initially recognised at transaction price unless the arrangement constitutes a financing transaction, where the debt instrument is measured at the present value of the future payments discounted at a market rate of interest. Financial liabilities classified as payable within one year are not amortised.

Debt instruments are subsequently carried at amortised cost, using the effective interest rate method.

Trade creditors are obligations to pay for goods or services that have been acquired in the ordinary course of business from suppliers. Amounts payable are classified as current liabilities if payment is due within one year or less. If not, they are presented as non-current liabilities. Trade creditors are recognised initially at transaction price and subsequently measured at amortised cost using the effective interest method.

Derivatives, including interest rate swaps and forward foreign exchange contracts, are not basic financial instruments. Derivatives are initially recognised at fair value on the date a derivative contract is entered into and are subsequently re-measured at their fair value. Changes in the fair value of derivatives are recognised in profit or loss in finance costs or finance income as appropriate, unless hedge accounting is applied and the hedge is a cash flow hedge.

Debt instruments that do not meet the conditions in FRS 102 paragraph 11.9 are subsequently measured at fair value through profit or loss. Debt instruments may be designated as being measured at fair value through profit or loss to eliminate or reduce an accounting mismatch or if the instruments are measured and their performance evaluated on a fair value basis in accordance with a documented risk management or investment strategy.

Financial liabilities are derecognised when the company’s contractual obligations expire or are discharged or cancelled.

Equity instruments issued by the company are recorded at the proceeds received, net of transaction costs. Dividends payable on equity instruments are recognised as liabilities once they are no longer at the discretion of the company.

The tax expense represents the sum of the tax currently payable and deferred tax.

The tax currently payable is based on taxable profit for the year. Taxable profit differs from net profit as reported in the income statement because it excludes items of income or expense that are taxable or deductible in other years and it further excludes items that are never taxable or deductible. The company’s liability for current tax is calculated using tax rates that have been enacted or substantively enacted by the reporting end date.

Deferred tax liabilities are generally recognised for all timing differences and deferred tax assets are recognised to the extent that it is probable that they will be recovered against the reversal of deferred tax liabilities or other future taxable profits. Such assets and liabilities are not recognised if the timing difference arises from goodwill or from the initial recognition of other assets and liabilities in a transaction that affects neither the tax profit nor the accounting profit.

The carrying amount of deferred tax assets is reviewed at each reporting end date and reduced to the extent that it is no longer probable that sufficient taxable profits will be available to allow all or part of the asset to be recovered. Deferred tax is calculated at the tax rates that are expected to apply in the period when the liability is settled or the asset is realised. Deferred tax is charged or credited in the income statement, except when it relates to items charged or credited directly to equity, in which case the deferred tax is also dealt with in equity. Deferred tax assets and liabilities are offset when the company has a legally enforceable right to offset current tax assets and liabilities and the deferred tax assets and liabilities relate to taxes levied by the same tax authority.

The costs of short-term employee benefits are recognised as a liability and an expense, unless those costs are required to be recognised as part of the cost of stock or fixed assets.

The cost of any unused holiday entitlement is recognised in the period in which the employee’s services are received.

Termination benefits are recognised immediately as an expense when the company is demonstrably committed to terminate the employment of an employee or to provide termination benefits.

Payments to defined contribution retirement benefit schemes are charged as an expense as they fall due.

Grants relating to revenue are recognised as income on a systematic basis over the periods in which the entity recognises the related costs for which the grant is intended to compensate.

Grants and training grants have been presented as other operating income in the Income Statement.

Amounts recoverable on contracts

Amounts recoverable on contracts at the year end are valued at the contract costs plus margin, less any foreseeable losses to date as described in the turnover accounting policy above, taking into account payments received on account to date.

Where the cost-plus margin less any foreseeable losses is in excess of payments on account, the excess is included as "amounts recoverable on contracts" under debtors in the Statement of Financial Position. Where payments on account are in excess of cost plus margin less any foreseeable losses, the excess is included as "excess payments on account" under creditors in the Statement of Financial Position.

Critical accounting judgements and key sources of estimation uncertainty

In preparing these financial statements, the directors have made the following material assessment:

Amounts recoverable on contracts

Determination of the turnover and profitability of customer contracts. Factors taken into consideration are the assessment of the time to complete the project, the project performance to date, assessment of future costs to complete the contract, assessment of future payments to be received, assessment of future costs of rectification and guarantee work, impact of any variations claims.

Customer contacts' turnover and profitability values consider issues such as the project plan and performance against the plan, project completion date, contracted costs and estimate of cost rates based on known rates, factoring in likely increases in inflation or price rises, approved variations, contracted sales value.

In the application of the company’s accounting policies, the directors are required to make judgements, estimates and assumptions about the carrying amount of assets and liabilities that are not readily apparent from other sources. The estimates and associated assumptions are based on historical experience and other factors that are considered to be relevant. Actual results may differ from these estimates.

The estimates and underlying assumptions are reviewed on an ongoing basis. Revisions to accounting estimates are recognised in the period in which the estimate is revised where the revision affects only that period, or in the period of the revision and future periods where the revision affects both current and future periods.

Going concern

At the time of approving the financial statements, the directors have a reasonable expectation that the company has adequate resources to continue in operational existence for the foreseeable future. Thus the directors continue to adopt the going concern basis of accounting in preparing the financial statements.

The directors have considered a period off twelve months following the date of approval of the financial statements, when considering the appropriateness of the adoption of the going concern basis of preparation.

All of the company's turnover originated and was delivered within the UK.

The average monthly number of persons (including directors) employed by the company during the year was:

Their aggregate remuneration comprised:

The number of directors for whom retirement benefits are accruing under defined contribution schemes amounted to 3 (2024 - 3).

The actual charge for the year can be reconciled to the expected charge for the year based on the profit or loss and the standard rate of tax as follows:

Hire purchase liabilities are all secured on the assets concerned.

Bank loans are secured as described in note 13.

The bank loans and overdraft facilities are secured by way of a debenture including a fixed charge over all present freehold and leasehold property; First fixed charge over book and other debts, chattels, goodwill and uncalled capital, both present and future; and first floating charge over all assets and undertaking both present and future.

Bank loans bear an interest rate of 3.99% APR over base.

The bank loans and overdrafts have been repaid during the financial year, so the debentures are no longer applicable.

The following are the major deferred tax liabilities and assets recognised by the company and movements thereon:

At the reporting end date the company had outstanding commitments for future minimum lease payments under non-cancellable operating leases, as follows:

The total expense during the period in respect of non-cancellable operating leases was £68,000 (2024: £70,500).

In the prior year, each of the Directors: James Sheehan, Steve Harvey and Scott Shearing entered into personal guarantees with HSBC to the value of £20,000. These guarantees are in respect of the recovery loan.

The loan has since been repaid during the financial year and, therefore, the guarantees no longer exist.

The ultimate parent company is Stortford Holdings Ltd, a company registered in England and Wales whose registered office address is Stortford House, 231 London Road, Bishops Stortford, Hertfordshire, CM23 3LA. This entity is the smallest and largest group in which consolidated accounts are drawn up and are available at the UK Registrar.

The Directors consider there to be no one single controlling party.