Hugh Strain of Ayr Ltd: FCA regulated?

Introducer appointed representative

This firm can only introduce you to its principal, and cannot give financial advice, recommend products, or arrange deals alone.

Appointed for 5 years
Protected through the principal
No FCA actions
Active company since 2019
Accounts filed up to 31 July 2024
Accounts are overdue at Companies House
Confirmation statement is overdue at Companies House
Its whole board of directors changed in August 2025
On its latest accounts it owed £238k more than it owned

Responsible principal firm

Switcha Limited Reference number: 828963 Authorised View firm →

What does this mean?

An introducer appointed representative can only pass your details to its principal firm. It cannot recommend products, give financial advice, or arrange deals on its own.
Hugh Strain of Ayr Ltd (FRN 951255) introduces customers to Switcha Limited (FRN 828963). Any regulated advice or arranging is done by the principal, not Hugh Strain of Ayr.
Example: if Hugh Strain of Ayr refers you to a financial adviser, the advice should come from the principal firm, not from Hugh Strain of Ayr itself.
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.

Website

hughstrain.co.uk (opens in a new tab)
Phone number

01292 262768
Address

Third Floor Hill Street, Edinburgh, Edinburgh, City Of, EH2 3JP, United Kingdom

In the full report: 3 background checks

When hughstrain.co.uk first appeared online, and whether it can receive email
What kind of line 01292 262768 is
Who else gives the postcode EH2 3JP

FCA permissions and consumer protection

Protection through the principal firm
Protection works through Switcha 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.

Concerns on the company record

Accounts are overdue at Companies House.
Confirmation statement is overdue at Companies House.

Company number: SC635034 (opens Companies House in a new tab)
Company status: Active
Company type: Private limited company
Incorporated: 3 July 2019 (7 years old)
Registered office: SC635034 - COMPANIES HOUSE DEFAULT ADDRESS, Edinburgh, EH7 9HR
Nature of business: Construction of domestic buildings (SIC 41202)
Other construction installation (SIC 43290)

Directors and company secretaries

Name	Role	Born	Appointed	Other companies
Anthony Nichols	Director	Jan 1963	19 Aug 2025	41 other companies

Other companies run by its director

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: 41
closed down: 24
went insolvent: 5

In the full report: all 41 companies, named

What each company does, and whether it is still trading
Which of its director sits on each board, and since when
The 5 that went into liquidation or administration
All 2 people who have ever been directors, with their dates

Filed accounts and finances

Year to 31 July 2024Full accountsNot audited

Net assets

−£238k

Down £239k from £1,187

Cash at bank

£12.3k

−71% from £42.2k

Employees (average)

17

−15% from 20

Owed within a year

£9,085

−98% from £399k

Its next accounts are overdue at Companies House.

Net assets are negative: on its last balance sheet the company owed £238k more than it owned.

Assets and liabilities

In the full report: all 5 years of accounts

Every year from 2020 to 2024
The chart, over every year
Every filed figure, year by year

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 SC635034. 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

Hugh Strain of Ayr’s history from the FCA register and Companies House, newest first.

Key events (6) All events (9)

2025

19 August 2025

Board replaced: its only director left and a new director took over
Anthony Nichols took control (75–100% of shares)
Lesley Ann Strain no longer has significant control

Companies House

2021

18 May 2021

Became an introducer appointed representative

FCA register

2019

3 July 2019

Incorporated at Companies House
Lesley Ann Strain gained significant control

Companies House

In the full report: all 9 events

All 9 events in its history (6 shown here)
Every director appointment and resignation: 3

Firms connected to Hugh Strain of Ayr

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

connected firms: 4
share its postcode: 4

In the full report: all 4 connected firms, named

How each is linked: the same postcode (4)
Who links each one: the named directors, with dates

Firms like Hugh Strain of Ayr

Other firms of the same type (home improvement or trades), nearest first.

In Edinburgh

Eco Sash and Case LtdEdinburghAppointed representative Exterior Building Solutions LtdEdinburghAppointed representative Gasco Energy Services LimitedEdinburghAppointed representative Intelligent Heating & Gas LtdEdinburghAppointed representative Kennedy Bros Plumbing LimitedEdinburghAppointed representative SmartGas Solutions Group LtdEdinburghAppointed 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 Hugh Strain of Ayr

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

41 other companies its directors have run, named
3 background checks on its contact details
5 years of accounts, charted
All 9 events in its history
4 connected firms, named, and who links them

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Frequently asked questions about this firm

Is Hugh Strain of Ayr Ltd FCA authorised?

Hugh Strain of Ayr Ltd (FRN 951255) is not directly authorised. It is an appointed representative acting under the responsibility of a directly authorised principal firm.

What does introducer appointed representative mean for Hugh Strain of Ayr?

An introducer appointed representative can only pass your details to its principal firm. It cannot recommend products, give financial advice, or arrange deals on its own. Hugh Strain of Ayr Ltd (FRN 951255) introduces customers to Switcha Limited (FRN 828963). Any regulated advice or arranging is done by the principal, not Hugh Strain of Ayr. Example: if Hugh Strain of Ayr refers you to a financial adviser, the advice should come from the principal firm, not from Hugh Strain of Ayr itself. 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 Hugh Strain of Ayr’s phone number and website?

The FCA register lists the phone number 01292 262768 and the website hughstrain.co.uk for Hugh Strain of Ayr. If you were given different contact details, use these to check with the firm before going any further.

Is Hugh Strain of Ayr a scam or clone?

Hugh Strain of Ayr 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 Hugh Strain of Ayr?

Protection works through Switcha Limited, the principal firm responsible for Hugh Strain of Ayr's regulated activity. FSCS cover and the Financial Ombudsman Service apply as they would to the principal.

Who owns Hugh Strain of Ayr?

Companies House lists one person with significant control of Hugh Strain of Ayr: Mr Anthony Nichols (75–100% of shares). Before that, it was controlled by Mrs Lesley Ann Strain.

Who runs Hugh Strain of Ayr?

Companies House lists one director of Hugh Strain of Ayr: Anthony Nichols.

How long has Hugh Strain of Ayr been in business?

The company was formed on 3 July 2019.

What do Hugh Strain of Ayr’s latest accounts show?

Its latest accounts, to 31 July 2024, show net assets of −£238k (down £239k from £1,187) and cash at bank of £12.3k (−71% from £42.2k). Its accounts are overdue at Companies House.