CONSTITUTION OF THE TAVERHAM BRIDGE CLUB
1. NAME
The Club shall be called Taverham Bridge Club.
2. OBJECTS
The object of the Club shall be to provide facilities for its members for playing Duplicate Contract Bridge.
3. HEADQUARTERS
The headquarters of the Club shall be situated at The Roundwood Bowls Club,Taverham.
4. AFFILIATIONS
The Club will be affiliated to the Norfolk County Bridge Association (NCBA) and to the English Bridge Union (EBU).
5. MEMBERSHIP
5.1. Membership shall be open to all Bridge players.
5.2. Any person wishing to become a member of the Club shall apply for membership by completing and forwarding to the Membership Secretary such form as may be prescribed from time to time by the Committee.
5.3. All applications for membership of the Club must be proposed and seconded by existing members of the Club unless the Committee decides otherwise.
5.4. All membership application forms received by the Membership Secretary shall be displayed in a prominent place at the headquarters of the Club for a minimum period of three meetings.
5.5. Any member wishing to object to an application for membership should notify the Chairman in writing.
5.6. After the expiry of the period mentioned above, the Committee shall as soon as convenient consider the application for membership, taking into account any objections notified to the Chairman, and shall promptly notify the applicant of the acceptance or otherwise of the application.
5.7. In declining an application the Committee may give a reason but shall not be obliged to do so.
5.8. In considering applications for membership the Committee shall have regard to the playing facilities available, and may from time to time decide that the Club shall be closed to new applications for membership for such period as it may decide.
5.9. A member shall cease to be a member of the club immediately if expelled from the club under the provisions of clause 15,or if his resignation in writing is delivered to the Membership Secretary.
5.10. A member whose subscription has not been paid shall cease to be a member on the expiration of the period of two months from the date on which the subscription was due for payment.
5.11 A former member of the Club who wishes to rejoin as a member may do so without the necessity for a further formal application for membership, unless the Committee decides otherwise.
5.12 Any new member joining after the start of the year will pay a membership fee reduced pro rata for that year.
5.13 From time to time the Club may recognise distinguished past service to the Club by electing an existing/recent past member to Honorary Life Membership. Such membership will entitle the member to free membership and free club evenings (apart from the P2P fee). Nominations for Honorary Membership must be made (duly proposed and seconded) by members of the Club to the Committee and, if approved, must be ratified at an AGM.
5.14 Members of the Club are automatically enrolled as members of the EBU and shall abide by its Bye Laws.
6. OFFICERS
6.1. The Officers of the Club shall be the Chairman, Membership Secretary, Competitions Secretary and Treasurer.
6.2. No member of the Club shall simultaneously hold the office of more than one Officer of the Club.
6.3. Each of the Officers of the Club shall be elected at the Annual General Meeting of the Club, and shall retire annually at the ensuing Annual General Meeting, but shall be eligible for re-election.
6.4. In the event of a vacancy arising during the year in the office of any Officer of the Club, the Committee shall choose one of their number to fill such vacancy until the ensuing Annual General Meeting.
7. COMMITTEE
7.1. The Committee of the Club shall consist ofthe Officers of the Club, together with four other members of the Club, who shall be elected at the Annual General Meeting of the Club, and shall retire annually at the ensuing Annual General Meeting, but shall be eligible for re-election. The Chairman shall not normally serve continuously for longer than 5 years.
7.2. The Committee may from time to time co-opt further members of the Club to serve on the Committee until the ensuing Annual General Meeting, whether to fill a vacancy arising, or as additional members, except that the total number of members of the Committee (including Officers) shall at no time exceed ten. Co-opted members shall be entitled to participate fully in the proceedings of theCommittee. The membership of the Committee should include at least one representative of the Tournament Directors.
7.3. A quorum at meetings of the Committee shall be three members of the Committee, including at least one of the Officers.
7.4. The Committee may from time to time appoint sub-committees to undertake on its behalf such aspects of the administration of the Club as it shall think fit, and members of such sub-committees may include members of the Club who are not members of the Committee.
7.5. Proceedings of the Committee and of any sub-committees shall be regulated in such manner as the Committee may from time to time decide.
7.6. The Committee shall make a report to each Annual General Meeting of the Club concerning the affairs of the Club since the previous Annual General Meeting.
7.7 The Committee may propose one of its members for the post of County Representative on the EBU Regional Club Committee. Such proposal shall be sent in writing or by e-mail to the secretary of the NCBA to arrive prior to the commencement of the County A.G.M. In the event that there is more than one nomination for the post the County Committee shall hold an election in accordance with its Constitution.
8. MANAGEMENT
8.1. The affairs of the Club shall be managed by the Committee, and the Committee shall have power to determine any issue arising in connection with the affairs of the Club which is not specifically provided for in this Constitution.
8.2. The Committee may from time to time formulate and publish such rules as it thinks expedient for the efficient and harmonious running of the Club (but in the case of any conflict between such rules and this Constitution, the Constitution shall prevail).
8.3 Any issue of policy determined by the Committee or any rules published by the Committee may be varied by a resolution of members at a General Meeting of the Club, provided that such resolution is not in conflict with this Constitution and is not retrospective in application.
8.4 In the event of such variation being made, the policy or rules (as the case may be) shall not be further varied by the Committee in a manner inconsistent with the resolution.
9. GENERAL MEETINGS
9.1. An Annual General Meeting of the Club shall be held in each year no later than four months after the end of the financial year.
9.2. A Special General Meeting of the Club shall be convened by the Committee if a request for such a meeting signed by at least ten members of the Club is delivered to the Chairman, stating the reason for the meeting, and such meeting shall take place within one month of the receipt of such request.
9.3. A Special General Meeting of the Club may be convened by the Committee on its own initiative at any time.
9.4. All General Meetings of the Club shall be held at the headquarters of the Club unless circumstances arise which render this impracticable.
9.5 The Chairman, if present, shall chair all General Meetings of the Club, and in his absence some other member of the Committee shall chair the meeting.
9.6. Notice of all General Meetings of the Club shall be given to all members of the Club no later than two weeks prior to the date fixed for the meeting.
9.7. Any member may propose a motion to be discussed at a General Meeting provided that written notice of the proposed motion is delivered to the Chairman no later than one week prior to the date fixed for the meeting.
9.8 The chairman of the meeting may permit discussion of other business at a General Meeting if he thinks fit.
9.9. A quorum at General Meetings of the Club shall be ten members present in person.
9.10. If fifteen minutes after the time fixed for a General Meeting of the Club no quorum shall be present, the meeting shall be adjourned to a new date (of which the like notice shall be given to members as was required to be given for the meeting which has been adjourned), and in the case of a General Meeting which has been adjourned due to the lack of a quorum (but not of a meeting adjourned for any other reason) such number of members as are actually present at the adjourned meeting shall constitute a quorum.
9.11. Voting at General Meetings of the Club shall be by show of hands, and in the event of parity of voting the chairman of themeeting shall have a second or casting vote.
10. NOTICES
10.1. Notices of any Special General Meeting ofthe Club, and of an annual General Meeting at which in the opinion of the Committee any business of a non-routine nature is likely to be discussed, shall be given to members by email or by post to the last notified address of the member if no email is available.
10.2. Notices of any Annual General Meeting at which in the opinion of the Committee no business of a non-routine nature is likely to be discussed, may be given to members either by email or by post to the last address of each member notified to the Membership Secretary, or by displaying a notice in a prominent position at the headquarters of the Club.
10.3. Notices of any other matters to be brought to the attention of members shall be made by displaying a notice in a prominent position at the headquarters of the Club.
11. NOMINATIONS
11.1. Nominations for the posts of Officers or Committee members shall be in writing, and shall be signed by a proposer and a seconder, both of whom shall be members of the Club, and also by the person nominated.
11.2. Nominations must reach the Chairman no later than one week prior to the date fixed for the Annual General Meeting.
12. SUBSCRIPTIONS and FEES
12.1. Each member of the Club shall pay an annual subscription, the basic amount of which for the time being shall be decided at the Annual General Meeting of the Club. Subscriptions shall be due for payment by 1st January in each year in respect of the year to the following 31st December. Unless the Committee decides otherwise, any member whose subscription remains unpaid after 1st March shall pay table money at the rate applicable to visitors until his subscription has been paid in full.
12.2. Each member of the Club, and each guest andvisitor, shall pay table money on each occasion when he plays at the Club, the basic amounts of which for the time being shall be decided at the Annual General Meeting of the Club. Table money for guests and visitors shall be higher than for members.
12.3. Each successful applicant for membership of the Club may be required to pay a joining fee, the amount (if any) of which for the time being shall be decided at the Annual General Meeting of the Club.
12.4. The Committee may determine variations on the basic amounts of subscriptions and table money for members, guests and visitors in different circumstances, and may waive subscriptions or table money in the event of hardship or for any other good cause.
12.5 The Annual General Meeting may authorise the Committee to change the basic amounts of subscriptions and table money prior to the ensuing Annual General Meeting.
13. ACCOUNTS
13.1. The Committee shall arrange for accounts to be prepared and audited in respect of the financial affairs of the Club for each year ending on 31st October.
13.2. The accounts for each year shall be presented to the annual General Meeting of the Club for approval.
14. GUESTS and VISITORS
14.1. Any member may invite a guest to play at the club at any time (including Simultaneous Pairs events as long as they are playing in partnership with a member), but in the event of the playing facilities being inadequate to accommodate all those who wish to play, priority shall be given to members.
14.2. Visitors may be permitted to play at theClub at any time except Simultaneous Pairs events, but in the event of theplaying facilities being inadequate to accommodate all those who wish to play,priority shall be given to members and the guests of members.
14.3. The Committee may from time to time place a limit on the number of occasions on which a non-member (whether a guest or a visitor) may play at the club without being required to apply for membership.Currently, that limit is three meetings in a calendar year.
14.4. If such a limit is for the time being in force, a non-member who has applied for membership shall (subject to available playing facilities) be permitted to play at the Club until his application formembership has been considered by the Committee, even if the limit imposed by the Committee is thereby exceeded.
15. MEMBERS’ BEHAVIOUR
15.1 Each member of the Club shall be required in connection with the game of Duplicate Contract Bridge, to conform to the standards of fair play, courtesy and personal deportment prescribed by the Bye Laws and regulations for the time being of the EBU. 15.2 The Club shall have the powers and the procedures for the enforcement of the requirement in clause 15.1. They are set out in the Schedule of the Constitution, and shall stand as part of the Constitution and be subject to the same provisions of the Constitution for its amendment.
16. ALTERATIONS TO THE CONSTITUTION
16.1. No alterations shall be made to this constitution except at a General Meeting of the Club
16.2. In order for a resolution to alter this constitution to have effect at least two-thirds of the votes cast on the resolution must be in favour.
17. WINDING-UP
17.1. In order for a resolution that the Club shall be wound up to have effect at least two-thirds of the votes cast on the resolution must be in favour, and in addition the number of votes cast in favour of the resolution must exceed one-half of the number of members of the Club entitled to attend and vote at the General Meeting at which the resolution is put.
17.2. If a resolution that the Club shall be wound up is effectively passed, the Committee shall be responsible for winding up the affairs of the Club, and unless the winding up has been initiated with a view to amalgamating the Club with some other club (in which case any surplus assets and funds may be transferred to such other club), any surplus assets and funds shall be transferred to such of the organisations mentioned in clause 17.3 as may be specified in the resolution initiating the winding up, and if no such organisation is so specified, to such of those organisations as the Committee may think fit.
17.3 The organisations referred to in clause 17.2 are
The English Bridge Union
The Norfolk Contract Bridge Association; and
any Registered or recognised charitable body
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