THE NATIONAL LIFE STORY COLLECTION
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Cash
£129K
Latest balance sheet
Net assets
£945K
Equity attributable
Employees
4
Average over period
Profit before tax
—
Period ending 2023-12-31
Watchouts
Facts from the Companies House register and the latest accounts — not a rating
-
Confirmation statement overdue
Due 2026-06-30.
Net assets
1-year trend · vs Consumer Discretionary median
Accounts
1-year trend · Δ = latest vs prior filed period · latest reflected 2025-12-31
| Metric | Trend | 2023-12-31 | Δ vs prior |
|---|---|---|---|
| Turnover | — | — | |
| Operating profit | — | — | |
| Profit before tax | — | — | |
| Net profit | -£58,729 | — | |
| Cash | £129,026 | — | |
| Total assets less current liabilities | £945,448 | — | |
| Net assets | £945,448 | — | |
| Equity | £945,448 | — | |
| Average employees | 4 | — | |
| Wages | £150,424 | — | |
| Directors' remuneration | — | — |
Values shown as filed in the company's annual accounts. — indicates the figure wasn't present under that line item in that period. The Δ column is the change from the prior filed period as a percentage of |prior|; lines a company doesn't report show —. Year-on-year comparison hidden: this filing's period length differs materially from the prior year. About these numbers
Ratios
Computed from the line items above — sparklines read oldest → newest
| Ratio | Trend | 2023-12-31 |
|---|---|---|
| Current ratio | 3.57x |
Gearing is liabilities over total assets. Current ratio is current assets over creditors falling due within one year. Interest cover is operating profit over absolute finance costs. Sector-distribution context coming next.
Audit & accounting basis
- Accounting basis
- FRS 102
- Reporting scope
- Standalone (parent only)
- Auditor
- Parker Cavendish
- Audit opinion
- Unqualified (clean)
- Going concern
- Affirmed
“In auditing the financial statements, we have concluded that the Trustees' 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 charitable 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.”
Significant events
- “Pauline Morrison retired as NLS Bookkeeper on 25 June after nearly 13 years of excellent service to NLS with special credit for so calmly weathering the trials of a global pandemic and a cyber-attack. Polly Owen took over as Bookkeeper from May 2025.”
- “Longstanding NLS Trustee Jo Reilly left the Trustee body in at the 2025 AGM - and was thanked for her term as a Trustee where she provided thoughtful and welcome support and scrutiny.”
- “NLS was deeply shocked and saddened at the sudden death of NLS Finance Advisor lan Prideaux in January 2026. lan had been an Advisor to NLS since 2018.”
- “In late October 2023 the British Library experienced a cyber-attack, resulting in a major technology outage. The ongoing disruption to the Library's website, online systems and services continued throughout 2024 and 2025 and will stretch into 2026 and beyond.”
Auditor, going-concern and subsidiary information is drawn from the narrative of the latest annual accounts. About these numbers
People
13 active · 32 resigned
| Name | Role | Appointed | Born | Nationality |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| STEWART, Mary Joy | Secretary | 2021-09-20 | — | — |
| ABRAMSKY, Jennifer Gita, Dame | Director | 2015-05-14 | Oct 1946 | British |
| AGAR, Jonathan Edward, Professor | Director | 2017-05-25 | Mar 1969 | United Kingdom |
| BANDA, Fareda, Professor | Director | 2021-12-07 | Sep 1966 | Zimbabwean |
| BOAS, John Robert Sotheby | Director | 1995-06-12 | Feb 1937 | British |
| CORNELIUS, Nelarine Estella, Professor | Director | 2021-09-20 | Sep 1957 | British |
| FLINN, Andrew David, Dr | Director | 2019-06-06 | Dec 1965 | British |
| KNIGHT, William John | Director | 2011-05-11 | Sep 1945 | British |
| PERKS, Robert Brian, Dr | Director | 1998-06-26 | Mar 1958 | British |
| RAVEN, Julia Amanda | Director | 2017-05-25 | Aug 1958 | United Kingdom |
| STEWART, Mary Joy | Director | 2021-09-20 | Nov 1980 | British |
| THOMPSON, Paul Richard, Professor | Director | 1987-10-22 | Aug 1935 | British |
| TOPP FARGION, Janet Constance, Dr | Director | 2020-07-16 | Feb 1963 | Italian |
Show 32 resigned officers
| Name | Role | Appointed | Resigned |
|---|---|---|---|
| DE BELLAIGUE, Eric | Secretary | 1996-06-26 | 2005-06-09 |
| PERKS, Robert Brian, Dr | Secretary | 2005-06-09 | 2021-09-20 |
| THOMPSON, Paul Richard, Professor | Secretary | — | 1996-06-26 |
| BRIGGS, Professor Lord | Director | — | 2004-06-02 |
| CHAMBERLAIN, Mary Christina, Professor | Director | 1992-06-30 | 2004-06-02 |
| CRAVEN, John Anthony, Sir | Director | 2000-05-17 | 2012-12-12 |
| DE BELLAIGUE, Eric | Director | 1996-06-26 | 2005-06-09 |
| DODGSON, Elyse | Director | 1988-06-13 | 2001-05-17 |
| FISHER, Mark | Director | 1993-06-04 | 2003-05-22 |
| GAVIN, Roger John | Director | 2009-04-01 | 2022-08-31 |
| GOFF, Martyn | Director | 1992-06-04 | 2004-06-02 |
| GOODISON, Nicholas Proctor, Sir | Director | 2000-05-17 | 2015-05-14 |
| HANDS, Peter Warwick | Director | — | 1994-03-31 |
| HENNESSY, Peter John, Baron Hennessy Of Nympsfield | Director | 2012-10-09 | 2018-09-04 |
| HOWARD, Stephen | Director | 2007-04-18 | 2009-04-01 |
| JEWITT, Anselm Crispin | Director | 1994-07-06 | 2007-04-18 |
| JOHNSON, Sharon Christine | Director | 2005-06-09 | 2007-04-18 |
| KNOX, Lesley | Director | 2014-05-20 | 2016-12-05 |
| LIVELY, Penelope Margaret | Director | 1989-06-30 | 2013-05-15 |
| MCKENDRICK, Scot, Dr | Director | 2011-05-11 | 2015-03-01 |
| PERETZ-BROWN, Stephen Paul Woodroff, Dr | Director | 1994-07-06 | 1995-09-30 |
| RANFT, Richard Damian | Director | 2015-05-14 | 2020-01-08 |
| REILLY, Joanne, Dr | Director | 2012-06-24 | 2025-06-03 |
| SHERIDAN, Dorothy Elizabeth, Professor | Director | 1994-07-06 | 2016-12-11 |
| SOLOMON, Harry, Sir | Director | 2005-06-09 | 2013-12-11 |
| TAYLOR, Jonathan Francis | Director | 1997-06-19 | 2008-04-17 |
| THOMPSON, Paul Richard, Professor | Director | — | 1996-06-26 |
| THORNBER, Edgar Hodson, Dr | Director | 2017-05-25 | 2020-05-13 |
| UNWIN, Rayner Stevens | Director | 1998-06-26 | 2000-11-21 |
| WALDEGRAVE, Caroline, Lady | Director | 2005-06-09 | 2012-05-24 |
| WEBSTER, David Gordon Comyn | Director | 2005-06-09 | 2015-03-10 |
| WINGATE, Jennifer | Director | — | 2024-05-20 |
Ownership
Persons with significant control
| Name | Kind | Nature of control | Notified | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ms Mary Joy Stewart | Individual | Significant influence | 2021-09-20 | Active |
| Dr Robert Brian Perks | Individual | Significant influence, Significant influence (as firm) | 2016-04-06 | Ceased 2021-09-20 |
Filing timeline
Last 20 of 168 total filings
| Date | Type | Category | Description | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-06-19 | AA | accounts | Accounts with accounts type full | |
| 2025-07-28 | AA | accounts | Accounts with accounts type full | |
| 2025-07-11 | CS01 | confirmation-statement | Confirmation statement with no updates | |
| 2025-07-11 | TM01 | officers | Termination director company with name termination date | |
| 2024-07-24 | CS01 | confirmation-statement | Confirmation statement with no updates | |
| 2024-07-24 | CH01 | officers | Change person director company with change date | |
| 2024-07-24 | TM01 | officers | Termination director company with name termination date | |
| 2024-07-22 | AA | accounts | Accounts with accounts type full | |
| 2023-07-27 | AA | accounts | Accounts with accounts type full | |
| 2023-07-25 | CS01 | confirmation-statement | Confirmation statement with no updates | |
| 2022-09-20 | TM01 | officers | Termination director company with name termination date | |
| 2022-07-27 | AA | accounts | Accounts with accounts type full | |
| 2022-07-21 | CS01 | confirmation-statement | Confirmation statement with no updates | |
| 2022-07-21 | PSC01 | persons-with-significant-control | Notification of a person with significant control | |
| 2022-07-21 | PSC07 | persons-with-significant-control | Cessation of a person with significant control | |
| 2022-01-25 | AP01 | officers | Appoint person director company with name date | |
| 2021-11-01 | AP01 | officers | Appoint person director company with name date | |
| 2021-10-29 | TM02 | officers | Termination secretary company with name termination date | |
| 2021-10-29 | AP03 | officers | Appoint person secretary company with name date | |
| 2021-10-29 | AP01 | officers | Appoint person director company with name date |
Public-record activity
Raw counts from Companies House — last 12–24 months
- Filings
- 4
- Capital events
- 0
- Officers appointed
- 0
- Officers resigned
- 0
last 12 months
last 24 months
last 12 months
last 12 months
Direct counts from the register. No score, no rating — see the Filing timeline for the underlying events.