Club Constitution

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Notice of the Establishment of 'Swindon Stargazers'

At our first AGM on the 20 March 2009 the new committee and all new members present agreed to change the name of the club to 'Swindon Stargazers', and decided to drop the specific use of the word 'Club' from the title, though of course it may be frequently used in general as an adjective either in the rules or when referring to the group as a whole.


If you have any comments and would like to bring anything to the attention of the committee, please contact the Secretary Hilary Wilkey by email clicking HERE

Swindon Stargazers Constitution

1. CLUB NAME

1.1 The Club shall be known as Swindon Stargazers

2. STATMENT OF AIMS

2.1 The Club shall be run for the benefit of its members to support, encourage and further their interest in and knowledge of Astronomy.

2.2 To hold regular monthly meetings where members may meet and socialise with like minded individuals within the hobby.

2.3 To support its members endeavours and to provide them with the means to increase their knowledge of astronomy through discussion, lectures, and practical application.

2.4 To hold Observational sessions and star parties so that members can improve their observational skills and knowledge and gain practical experience in using various optical, radio and other astronomically related equipment.

2.5 To promote the hobby and further the interest and knowledge of members of the general public in amateur astronomy by means of open days, public observation sessions , open lectures, demonstrations and regular contributions to the local press.

2.6 The Club may undertake any and all such activities relating to astronomy, whether or not referred to elsewhere in this constitution, as the Committee or a General Meeting shall from time to time determine.

3. COMMITTEE

3.1 The day to day running of the Club and its administration shall be carried out by a committee to be elected by simple majority vote at the Annual General Meeting.

3.2 The committee shall comprise the Chairman, Vice Chairman, Secretary, Treasurer and Membership Secretary, Public Relations and Web Site Communications Officer (all appointed by the Annual General Meeting). Up to three other members of the Club may be appointed to the Committee by the Annual General Meeting or co-opted by the Committee. For the avoidance of doubt, the Club's Officers shall be the five persons holding the positions listed in this section.

3.3 In the event of an Officer resigning his position the Committee may co-opt another Club member to that position until the next Annual General Meeting.

3.4 The quorum for meetings of the Committee shall be three members.

3.5 The Committee shall be authorised to appoint Sub-Committees and to co-opt any Club member to such Sub-Committee(s) as it may appoint. Any such co-option shall be for a period not greater than until the next Annual General Meeting.

3.6 Only fully paid up members shall be able to vote at a General Meeting or stand for election to any office.

3.7 The term of membership shall be from the time the membership fee is paid until the conclusion of the next Annual General Meeting.

4. ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING

4.1 An Annual General Meeting shall be held in March of each year.

4.2 The Annual General Meeting shall (a) Appoint Officers for the ensuing year and receive reports from existing Officers, (b) appoint a Committee for the ensuing year, (c) Receive the Accounts of the Club, (d) agree membership fees for the ensuing year, (e) consider any matters which the Committee may have asked it to consider, and (f) consider any matter raised by a member under the agenda item 'Any other Business'.

4.3 The quorum for an Annual General Meeting shall be ten members, unless the total paid up membership of the Club is less than 12 members in which case the quorum shall be three members

5. EXTRAORDINARY GENERAL MEETING

5.1 An extraordinary general meeting may be convened at the request of the Chairman and shall be convened upon a written request to the Chairman signed by ten Members of the Club.

5.2 The Secretary shall give at least fourteen clear day’s notice of an Extraordinary General Meeting to all members by an announcement at a Club meeting.

5.3 The quorum for an Extraordinary General Meeting shall be ten members.

6. CHAIRMAN

6.1 The Chairman shall be responsible for chairing all committee meetings and will have a second or casting vote in the event of an equality of votes. The chairman will serve until the start of the next Annual General Meeting and may serve more than one term of office.

7. VICE CHAIRMAN

7.1 The Vice Chairman is authorized to act in the absence of the Chairman and, when acting in that capacity, shall have the same voting powers as the Chairman. The Vice Chairman will serve until the start of the next Annual General Meeting and may serve more than one term of office.

8. SECRETARY

8.1 The Secretary shall be responsible for the general administration of the Club, for keeping minutes of meetings and for all communications both within the Club and with other persons. He shall hold normal voting rights and shall hold office until directly after the next Annual General Meeting. He may serve more than one term of Office.

9. TREASURER

9.1 The Treasurer shall be responsible for control on all Club’s Finances. He shall be responsible for keeping accurate financial records and, with the additional co-signatories to the Club’s bank account(s), shall be responsible for the paying monies out of Club’s bank account(s). He shall be responsible for depositing monies in the Club’s bank account(s). He shall also be responsible for presenting regular financial reports/ statements to the committee and for preparing and producing an annual report for the Club’s Annual General Meeting.

9.2 He shall hold normal voting rights and shall hold office until directly after the next Annual General Meeting. He may serve more than one term of Office

10. MEMBERSHIP SECRETARY

10.1 The Membership secretary shall be responsible for keeping accurate records of all current Club members and for issuing membership forms and membership cards to Club members. His responsibilities will include the collection of membership fees and the prompt handing of such fees to the Treasurer for Banking. He shall hold office until the next Annual General Meeting and may stand for re-election.

11. FINANCE

11.1 The club's accounts shall be made available on demand to any member for scrutinisation. The Committee will be responsible for ensuring that the finances meet the demands of the club and its equipment by reviewing the subscription once a year at the Annual General Meeting.

12. LIMITED FINANCIAL LIABILITY

12.1 The Committee shall not enter into any financial transaction that cannot be met from the current financial assets held within the Club’s accounts. No member shall enter into any financial transaction on behalf of the Club without the approval of a majority vote from the full committee or from a General Meeting.

12.2 An individual member’s liability shall be limited to a sum of money equal to and no more than the current year’s membership subscription.

13. WINDING UP

13.1 In the event of a winding up of the Club, any funds remaining after the deduction of all proper liabilities and expenses, shall be donated to Prospect Hospice.

13.2 Any non-financial assets shall be divided amongst the membership and in the event of a dispute as to the division of such non financial assets the Chairman be authorised to make a decision

14. AMENDMENT OF CONSTITUTION

14.1 This constitution may be amended by an Annual General Meeting (or an Extraordinary General Meeting), convened for that purpose, subject to the support of two-thirds of the members present and voting at the meeting.

14.2 Notice of a proposed alteration to this constitution must be given in writing to the Secretary and shall be notified by him to members at least fourteen clear days prior to the meeting by an announcement at a Club meeting.

15. OTHER MATTERS

15.1 In this constitution any reference to ‘he’ shall be read as referring to a person of any gender.

15.2 Members personal belongings and equipment remain the sole responsibility of that member and all responsibility for any damage incurred to such property remains with the owner unless specifically agreed beforehand in writing by the committee.

15.3 While the Club encourages the participation of juniors in all its activities, the responsibility for any juniors attending Club activities, and their behavior, remains the sole responsibility of the child’s parents or guardians.

15.4 The Club will not accept any liable for injury or damage caused or sustained by members, including junior members.

Revised constitution posted by Swindon Stargazers Committee 24 March 2012