CONSTITUTION OF THE MALMESBURY BRIDGE CLUB
1. NAME The Club shall be called The Malmesbury Bridge Club.
2. OBJECTS The objects of the Club shall be:
2.1 To provide facilities in an environment that fosters friendship and fun for its members for playing Duplicate Contract Bridge
2.2 To use the Club non-profit making funds in the best interest of its members and the game of bridge.
3. AFFILIATIONS The Club will be affiliated to the Wiltshire County Bridge Association and to the English Bridge Union.
4. MEMBERSHIP Membership shall be open to:
4.1 Any person wishing to become a member of the Club who shall apply for membership by completing and forwarding to the Secretary such form as may be prescribed from time to time by the Committee.
4.2 All bridge players and those wishing to learn to play who are over the age of eighteen years will be entitled to apply for full membership of the Club.
4.3 Players under the age of eighteen years will be entitled to apply for Junior membership. Such members are not entitled to vote at general meetings of the Club.
4.4 The Club may confer Honorary Life Membership on any member who has rendered special service to the Club.
4.5 For those who wish to learn, or those not yet experienced enough to participate in the club evenings, the club will aim to provide support and teaching, either directly or indirectly, until they are able to play in club evenings at a reasonable pace of play.
4.6 All members are deemed to have accepted the regulations of this constitution and the rules and codes of conduct adopted by the Club.
4.7 The Committee Secretary will keep a register of members that will include details of their names, addresses and contact details.This information will only be used in line with the requirements of the Data Protection Act 1998.
4.8 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.
4.9 A member shall cease to be a member of the club immediately if expelled from the club under the provisions of clause 12 or if their resignation in writing is delivered to the Secretary.
4.10 A member whose subscription has not been paid shall cease to be a member on the expiry of the period of six months from the date on which the subscription was due for payment.
4.11 Club members are automatically enrolled as members of the English Bridge Union and must abide by its Bye Laws.
5 OFFICERS
5.1 The Officers of the Club shall be the Chairman, Secretary and Treasurer.
5.2 No member of the Club shall simultaneously hold more than one Office of the Club.
5.3 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.
5.4 The Chairman can serve for three consecutive years only as Chairman. Whenever possible, and in order to have continuity of procedures and policy, the election of a new Chairman should be made from a club member who has previously served on the committee.
5.5 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.
6 COMMITTEE
6.1 The Committee of the Club shall consist of the Officers of the Club, together with five 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.
6.2 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 the Committee.
6.3 A quorum at meetings of the Committee shall be four members of the Committee, including at least one of the Officers, except that where a decision made by the committee within the previous twelve months is proposed to be reversed, then the quorum shall be two-thirds of committee membership. The Chairman shall have the casting vote in cases of equal votes for and against a resolution.
6.4 The Committee may from time to time appoint subcommittees 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.
6.5 Proceedings of the Committee and of any subcommittees shall be regulated in such manner as the Committee may from time to time decide.
6.6 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.
6.7 Committee meetings shall be held regularly as determined by the Chairman in order to ensure the efficient running of the Club. Four members of the committee, as long as one is a club Officer, will constitute a committee quorum.
6.8 The Chairman shall request the Secretary to prepare an agenda and complete minutes for all Club meetings.
7 MANAGEMENT
7.1 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.
7.2 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; however, in the case of any conflict between such rules and this Constitution, the Constitution shall prevail.
8. MEETINGS
8.1 An Annual General Meeting of the Club shall be held in each year in the third week of November.
8.2 An Extra-Ordinary General Meeting (EGM) 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 Secretary, stating the reason for the meeting, and such meeting shall take place within one month of the receipt of such request.
8.3 An EGM of the Club may be convened by the Committee on its own initiative at any time.
8.4 The Chairman shall chair all Meetings of the Club, but in their absence one of the Officers, approved by a majority of those present at the Meeting, shall chair the meeting.
8.5 Notice of all General Meetings of the Club shall be given to all members of the Club no later than three weeks prior to the date fixed for the meeting.
8.6 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 Secretary no later than four weeks prior to the date fixed for the meeting.
8.7 Matters to be discussed at an AGM should be announced beforehand, and nothing not duly given notice of should be discussed and/or decided upon. However, the chairman of the meeting may permit discussion of other business at a General Meeting if he thinks fit.
8.8 A quorum at General Meetings of the Club shall be twenty members, of which three are members of the Club Committee, present in person.
8.9 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.
8.10 Voting at General Meetings of the Club shall be by show of hands, each member having one vote and in the event of parity of voting the chairman of the meeting shall have a second or casting vote.
8.11 All club bridge playing meetings will take place under the direction of a Tournament director.
9. NOMINATIONS
9.1 Nominations for the posts of Officers or Committee members shall be in writing, and shall be signed by a proposer, a Seconder, and also by the person nominated, all of whom shall be members of the Club.
9.2 Nominations must reach the Secretary no later than two weeks prior to the date fixed for the Annual General Meeting.
10. SUBSCRIPTIONS and FEES
10.1 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 will be due on the first day of November.
10.2 Each member of the Club, and each guest and visitor, 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.
10.3 The Committee may determine variations on the basic amounts of subscriptions and table money for members, guests and visitors in different circumstances, for example if the amount of fees to be charged for use of the premises or equipment of the Club changes, or for any other purpose for which it is of the opinion that fees ought to be charged.
11. ACCOUNTS
11.1 The Committee shall arrange for accounts to be prepared in respect of the financial affairs of the Club for each year ending on 31st October.
11.2 The accounts for each year shall be independently audited and then presented to the Annual General Meeting of the Club for approval.
12. MEMBERS’ BEHAVIOUR
12.1 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.
12.2 The Club shall have the powers to enforce the requirements in clause 12.1. Disciplinary procedures, together with etiquette guidelines, are shown on the Club Website and written copies are available from the Club Chairman.
13. ALTERATIONS TO THE CONSTITUTION
13.1 No alterations shall be made to this constitution except at a General Meeting of the Club.
13.2 In order for a resolution to alter this constitution to have effect a minimum of two thirds of the votes cast on the resolution must be in favour.
14. WINDING-UP
14.1 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 total number of members of the Club.
14.2 If for any reason the Club cannot continue to operate, and such a resolution is passed, all Trophies will be returned to the Committee and the Committee will be responsible for winding up the Club affairs.
14.3 If the winding up has been initiated with a view to amalgamating the Club with some other club, then any surplus assets, including trophies and funds, may be transferred to such other club.
14.4 If no amalgamation is agreed, then all furniture, equipment and Club property, apart from any trophies, will be sold and the proceeds added to the Club general funds.
14.5 The Club funds will then be distributed as decided by club members at an EGM.
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