Association of British Dispensing Opticians (The)

Reference number: 425484

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Appointed representative

This firm does not hold FCA authorisation of its own, and acts under a principal firm, which is legally responsible for its regulated business.

Responsible principal firm

Verlingue Limited Reference number: 306088 Authorised View firm →
What does this mean?
  • An appointed representative (AR) can carry out regulated financial services, but is not directly authorised by the FCA. A principal firm holds the authorisation and is legally responsible for the AR's conduct.
  • Association of British Dispensing Opticians(The) (FRN 425484) is an AR of Verlingue Limited (FRN 306088). When you use Association of British Dispensing Opticians(The)'s services, the FCA authorisation sits with the principal firm.
  • Example: if you take financial advice from Association of British Dispensing Opticians(The), complaints and compensation usually follow the same rules as dealing with the principal, but this depends on the product and your circumstances.
  • Before you proceed, confirm contact details match the official FCA register for both firms. Scammers sometimes clone legitimate AR names and FRNs but use fake phone numbers and websites.

Website, phone number and address

Compare these against whatever you were given. Scammers clone real firm names and reference numbers but use their own phone number and website, so a detail that does not match the register is the clearest warning sign there is.

In the full report: 3 background checks

  • When abdo.org.uk first appeared online, and whether it can receive email
  • What kind of line 01227 733901 is
  • Who else gives the postcode CT4 7DT
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Other names (2)

If you were contacted under any of these names, it is this firm.

  • Association of British Dispensing Opticians Former name
  • The Association of British Dispensing Opticians Former name

FCA permissions and consumer protection

  • Protection through the principal firm
    Protection works through Verlingue Limited, the principal firm responsible for this firm's regulated activity. FSCS cover and the Financial Ombudsman Service apply as they would to the principal.
  • Complaints Ombudsman, free
    You can refer a complaint about this firm to the Financial Ombudsman Service for free, whichever activity it relates to.

FCA disciplinary action and complaints

No FCA disciplinary action.

The Financial Ombudsman Service only publishes complaint figures for firms with 30 or more new complaints in six months, so there are none here for this firm.

Companies House record

The company behind the firm: its status, age, registered office and directors.

Company number
02012484
Company status
Active
Company type
Private company limited by guarantee
Incorporated
21 April 1986 (40 years old)
Registered office
Unit 2 Court Lodges Godmersham Park, Godmersham, Canterbury, CT4 7DT, England
Nature of business
  • Technical and vocational secondary education (SIC 85320)
  • Activities of professional membership organisations (SIC 94120)

Directors and company secretaries

Name Role Born Appointed Other companies
Brenda Alexis Rennie Director Aug 1964 2 Sep 2022 1 other company
Kimberley O'Donnell Director Oct 1975 5 Nov 2024 None
Gillian Twyning Director Oct 1973 5 Nov 2024 2 other companies
Sarah Jane Gilbert Director Jan 1975 5 Nov 2024 3 other companies
Deborah Ann Bill Director Sep 1970 5 Nov 2024 2 other companies
Dylan Russell Director Jan 1994 5 Nov 2024 None
Davinia Hadley Director Jun 1986 6 Nov 2025 None
Alistair James Bridge Secretary Not published 1 Jan 2023 –

Other companies run by these 7 directors

A firm is run by people, and their other companies are their track record: what they built, what closed, and anything that failed. It is the check most people never think to make.

other companies
6
closed down
2
is FCA-registered
1

In the full report: all 6 companies, named

  • What each company does, and whether it is still trading
  • Which of these 7 directors sit on each board, and since when
  • Any that went into liquidation or administration
  • The one on the FCA register
  • The 1 company these 7 directors run together
  • All 87 people who have ever been directors, with their dates
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Filed accounts and finances

Year to 31 December 2024Small company accountsAudited

Turnover

£3.96m

+20% from £3.29m

Profit before tax

−£75.9k

Up £537k from −£613k

Net assets

£812k

−8.6% from £889k

Cash at bank

£453k

+153% from £179k

Turnover and profit

About these figures
Turnover
Money taken from sales in the year, before any costs.
Profit before tax
What was left after the year’s costs, before corporation tax. A minus figure is a loss.
Net assets, or total equity
Everything the company owns minus everything it owes. A minus figure means it owes more than it owns.
Total assets and total liabilities
Everything the company owns, and everything it owes, on the last day of the year. The gap between them is its net assets.
Cash at bank
Money in the company’s accounts on the last day of the year.
Owed within a year, owed after a year
Debts and bills due in the next twelve months, and those due later.

Accounts filed at Companies House for company 02012484. Every figure is as filed, apart from total assets and total liabilities, which are added up from filed figures. Nothing is estimated.

Key dates in its history

This firm’s history from the FCA register and Companies House, newest first.

Key events (4) All events (178)

2026

9 April 2026

  • Changed its registered name from "The Association of British Dispensing Opticians"

FCA register

11 March 2026

  • Changed its registered name from "Association of British Dispensing Opticians"

FCA register

2005

31 January 2005

  • Became an appointed representative

FCA register

1986

21 April 1986

  • Incorporated at Companies House

Companies House

In the full report: all 178 events

  • All 178 events in its history (4 shown here)
  • Every director appointment and resignation: 174
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Connected firms

Other FCA-listed firms that share a director, phone number or address with this firm. A link shows who the firm is tied to, not whether either can be trusted.

connected firm
1
share a director
1

In the full report: the connected firm, named

  • How it is linked: shared directors (1)
  • Who links it to this firm: the named directors, with dates
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Similar firms

Other firms of the same type (insurance broker), nearest first.

In Canterbury

Darwin (Canterbury Fields) LimitedCanterburyAppointed representativeMichele ColeCanterburyAppointed representativeAdd Mortgage Advice LtdCanterburyAppointed representativeHuggins Wealth Management LimitedCanterburyAppointed representativeJ J Hodge & J W GarrettCanterburyAppointed representativeVetshack LimitedCanterburyAppointed representative

Firms are listed by type and location, best known first. Being listed is not a recommendation: check any firm before you deal with it.

Get the full report on this firm

Everything on this page, plus everything locked above, in one dated PDF you can keep, file or send on.

  • 6 other companies its directors have run, named
  • 3 background checks on its contact details
  • All 178 events in its history
  • 1 connected firm, named, and who links them

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Frequently asked questions about this firm

Is Association of British Dispensing Opticians (The) FCA authorised?
Association of British Dispensing Opticians (The) (FRN 425484) is not directly authorised. It is an appointed representative acting under the responsibility of a directly authorised principal firm.
What does appointed representative mean for Association of British Dispensing Opticians (The)?
An appointed representative (AR) can carry out regulated financial services, but is not directly authorised by the FCA. A principal firm holds the authorisation and is legally responsible for the AR's conduct. Association of British Dispensing Opticians (The) (FRN 425484) is an AR of Verlingue Limited (FRN 306088). When you use Association of British Dispensing Opticians (The)'s services, the FCA authorisation sits with the principal firm. Example: if you take financial advice from Association of British Dispensing Opticians (The), complaints and compensation usually follow the same rules as dealing with the principal, but this depends on the product and your circumstances. Before you proceed, confirm contact details match the official FCA register for both firms. Scammers sometimes clone legitimate AR names and FRNs but use fake phone numbers and websites.
What is Association of British Dispensing Opticians (The)’s phone number and website?
The FCA register lists the phone number 01227 733901 and the website abdo.org.uk for Association of British Dispensing Opticians (The). If you were given different contact details, use these to check with the firm before going any further.
Is Association of British Dispensing Opticians (The) a scam or clone?
Association of British Dispensing Opticians (The) is a genuine FCA-listed firm, and the FCA has published no warnings about fake versions of it. Scammers do copy real firms, though, so check that any contact details you were given match the ones on the register.
Is my money safe with Association of British Dispensing Opticians (The)?
Protection works through Verlingue Limited, the principal firm responsible for Association of British Dispensing Opticians (The)'s regulated activity. FSCS cover and the Financial Ombudsman Service apply as they would to the principal.
Who runs Association of British Dispensing Opticians (The)?
Companies House lists 7 directors of Association of British Dispensing Opticians (The): Brenda Alexis Rennie, Kimberley O'Donnell, Gillian Twyning, Sarah Jane Gilbert, Deborah Ann Bill, Dylan Russell and 1 more.
How long has Association of British Dispensing Opticians (The) been in business?
The company was formed on 21 April 1986.
What do Association of British Dispensing Opticians (The)’s latest accounts show?
Its latest accounts, to 31 December 2024, show turnover of £3.96m (+20% from £3.29m) and profit before tax of −£75.9k (up £537k from −£613k).
Does Association of British Dispensing Opticians (The) use any other names?
It has previously used 2 other names: Association of British Dispensing Opticians and The Association of British Dispensing Opticians.

Sources and links

The full report on Association of British Dispensing Opticians (The)

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