NANTWICH BRIDGE Club
CONSTITUTION – MARCH 2009
1. NAME
The Club shall be called Nantwich Bridge Club.
2. OBJECTIVE
The aim of the Club shall be to provide encouragement and facilities for its members to play Duplicate Contract Bridge, and to support the game of bridge in the community.
3. HEADQUARTERS
The headquarters of the Club shall be at a designated centre in the Nantwich area.
4. AFFILIATIONS
The Club will be affiliated to the Staffordshire and Shropshire Bridge Association and to the English Bridge Union.
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 do so by applying to the Secretary, paying their subscription and turning up and playing at the club.
5.3. Applications for membership shall have regard to the playing facilities available.
5.4. 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 Secretary.
5.5. A member whose subscription has not been paid shall cease to be a member after six months from the date on which the subscription was due for payment.
6. OFFICERS
6.1. The Officers of the Club shall be the Chairman, Captain, 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, for a period of up to 4 years.
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 of the Officers of the Club, together with up to six other members of the Club, who shall be elected at the Annual General Meeting of the Club. Members shall retire from the committee after three years, or earlier if they wish, but shall be eligible for re-election.
7.2. The Committee may 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 vote and participate fully in the proceedings of the Committee.
7.3. A quorum at meetings of the Committee shall be five members of the Committee, including at least two of the Officers.
7.4. The Committee may 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 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.
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; except that where an expenditure or commitment for a sum of money exceeding £750 is required to be made, prior agreement of members must be obtained at a General Meeting of the club.
8.2. The Committee may formulate and publish such rules as it thinks expedient for the efficient and harmonious running of the Club. 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 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 Secretary, stating the reason for the meeting, and such meeting shall take place within six weeks 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 the Captain or 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 three 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 Secretary 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 twenty 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 giving the required notice period. In the case of a General Meeting which has been adjourned due to the lack of a quorum 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 the meeting shall have a second or casting vote.
10. NOTICES
10.1. Notices of any Annual or Special General Meeting will be given to members by general announcement at the club on the normal club night and the display of a notice in a prominent position at the headquarters of the Club.
10.2. Notices of any other matters to be brought to the attention of members shall be made by general announcement at the club on the normal club night or 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 reach the Secretary 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 amount of which shall be decided by the Committee. Subscriptions shall be due for payment by the last day in March in each year in respect of the year to the following December. Unless the Committee decides otherwise, any member whose subscription remains unpaid after the due date shall pay table money at the rate applicable to non members until his subscription has been paid in full.
12.2. Each member of the Club, and each non member, shall pay table money on each occasion when he plays at the Club, the amount of which shall be decided by the Committee.
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 and non members in different circumstances, and may waive subscriptions or table money in the event of hardship or for any other good cause.
12.5 Any changes to the annual subscription or table money for members or non members will be discussed at the subsequent Annual General Meeting. That Meeting may require the Committee to amend the basic amounts of subscriptions and table money but this will not be retrospective.
12.6 The Committee may determine from time to time the amount of fees to be charged for use of the premises or equipment of the Club, or for any other purpose for which it is of the opinion that fees ought to be charged.
13. ACCOUNTS
13.1. The Committee shall arrange for accounts to be prepared in respect of the financial affairs of the Club for each year ending on December 31st.
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. Guests and visitors will be welcome to play at the club at any time, 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. The Committee may, if club facilities are limited, place a limit on the number of occasions on which a non-member may play at the club without being required to apply for membership.
15. CONDUCT
15.1. If a written complaint about the conduct of a member of the Club, signed by at least three members of the Club, is made to the Committee, the Committee shall investigate the complaint.
15.2. On investigating such a complaint the Committee shall give the member about whose conduct the complaint has been made an opportunity to be heard and put forward evidence in their defence.
15.3. If on investigating such a complaint the Committee is of the opinion that the member has behaved in an unacceptable manner or in such a manner as to cause injury to the interests of the Club, then the Committee may reprimand the member, suspend the member from the privileges of membership for such period as it may think fit, or expel the member from the Club.
15.4. The Committee shall forthwith notify the member of any decision made on the investigation of a complaint about his conduct, and may if it thinks fit publicise the decision by displaying a notice at the headquarters of the Club.
15.5. An appeal shall lie to a General Meeting of the Club against any decision to expel (but not to reprimand or suspend) a member of the Club following the investigation of a complaint about his conduct.
15.6. Notice of such an appeal must be in writing, and delivered to the Secretary within two weeks of the notification to the member of the decision of the Committee.
15.7. In the event of an appeal being made against it, the member shall be suspended until the appeal has been determined.
15.8 On the appeal being heard by a General Meeting of the Club, the General Meeting shall have power, by simple majority, to overrule the conclusion of the Committee, or to uphold it, in which event the sanction imposed by the Committee may be confirmed or varied (to any sanction which the Committee was empowered to impose, or to none).
15.9 Nothing in this Constitution shall preclude the Committee from referring a matter of conduct to the Conduct Committee of the County Contract Bridge Association, or to the Laws & Ethics Committee of the English Bridge Union if it considers it appropriate to do so.
16. ALTERATIONS TO THE CONSTITUTION
16.1. No alterations shall be made to this constitution except at a General Meeting of the Club
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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
- Club members who were paid up members at the date of the winding up and in each of the two previous calendar years.
- Any registered or recognised charitable body.
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