Arora Design Limited directors file Section 216 notice to carry on under Rydal Art and Design Ltd
Directors of Arora Design Limited have filed a Rule 22.4 prohibited-name notice to continue trading through Rydal Art and Design Ltd after insolvent liquidation. Full notice and Companies House record.
Information for general guidance, drawn from the public record. Not legal, financial, or insolvency advice. If you are affected by an insolvency, consult a licensed practitioner or qualified solicitor.
Andrew Stephen Waters and Debra Yvonne Waters, directors of Arora Design Limited, have filed a Rule 22.4 prohibited-name notice stating their intention to carry on the business through a new company, Rydal Art and Design Ltd, after Arora Design entered insolvent liquidation on 4 June 2026.
Section 216 of the Insolvency Act 1986 prohibits a director of a company that has entered insolvent liquidation from being involved in another company using the same or a similar name for five years, unless one of the statutory exceptions applies. Filing a notice under Rule 22.4 of the Insolvency (England and Wales) Rules 2016 is one such exception. It allows a director to continue trading under a near-identical name without committing a criminal offence or incurring personal liability for the successor company's debts, provided the notice reaches all known creditors and is published in the London Gazette within 28 days of acquiring the business.
The notice was published in the Gazette on 30 June 2026.
The business
Arora Design traded from Buccleuch Mills, Langholm, Dumfriesshire, across a portfolio of gift and homewares brands. Those trading styles included Art of Arora, Arora Kds, More Than Words, Secrets, Secrets from Hidden Treasures, Craycombe Trinkets, Little Paws, Optipaws, Rainbow Bridge Friends, Natures Realms, Ultimate Gift For Man, Said with Sentiment, Ultimate Gift For Girl and Gallery Collection, alongside the websites www.aroratrade.com, www.aroratrade.co.uk and www.arora-design.co.uk.
The company was originally incorporated in March 2001 as G.M.I. Limited before adopting the Arora Design name in February 2003. Its registered office at the time of liquidation was care of Opus Restructuring LLP, 1 Radian Court, Knowlhill, Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire MK5 8PJ.
The successor entity, Rydal Art and Design Ltd, intends to trade as Arora Design and/or Art of Arora.
The directors
Andrew Waters has been a director of Arora Design since its incorporation on 28 March 2001. Debra Waters was appointed company secretary on 7 June 2013 and became a director on 17 March 2014; both roles remain current. Andrew and Debra Waters are named as the notice-givers.
Secured lenders
Four outstanding charges are registered at Companies House, all held by HSBC group entities. HSBC UK Bank PLC holds three charges created in September and October 2019, covering a fixed and floating charge over all assets, a legal assignment of contract monies, and a general pledge. HSBC Invoice Finance (UK) Ltd holds a further charge created on 1 October 2019. All four remain outstanding.
Creditors of Arora Design who have not yet received a copy of the notice directly are entitled to one on request.
Common questions
Are you a director of the successor company?
A prohibited-name Gazette notice typically documents one of the three statutory exceptions to Section 216 of the Insolvency Act 1986 (the rule against re-use of a similar name by a former director of a liquidated company). The exception is only valid if the notice meets the timing and content requirements in the relevant Rule. Read more on prohibited names.
Do you trade with the successor company?
A valid notice does not by itself revive the liabilities of the liquidated company. The successor company is a separate legal entity and the directors are personally exposed only if Section 216 is breached.
Sources
- The London Gazette notice (code Moratoria, Prohibited Names and Other: Re-use of a Prohibited Name)
- Companies House record 04188602
- Editorial standards: how we source and review; five-pass pipeline.
