Portchester Friday Afternoon Bridge Club

1. NAME

The Club shall be called Portchester Friday Afternoon Bridge Club

2. OBJECTS

The object of the Club shall be to provide facilities for its members for playing Duplicate Contract Bridge in a friendly and sociable atmosphere.

3. HEADQUARTERS

The headquarters of the Club shall be situated at Portchester Parish Hall

4. AFFILIATIONS

It is not the intention that the Club be affiliated to the County Contract Bridge Association or to the English Bridge Union at the present time.

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 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 Secretary shall be displayed in a prominent place at the headquarters of the Club for a minimum period of two weeks.
5.5. Any member wishing to object to an application for membership should notify the Secretary in writing.
5.6. After the expiry of the period of two weeks mentioned above, the Committee shall as soon as convenient consider the application for membership, taking into account any objections notified to the Secretary, 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 Secretary.
5.10. A member whose subscription has not been paid shall cease to be a member on the expiration of the period of three 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 .

6. OFFICERS

6.1. The Officers of the Club shall be the Chairman, Vice-Chairman, 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. The election of Officers of the Club shall be conducted at the Annual General Meeting of the Club.

Each Officer so elected shall serve for a period of up to three years but shall be eligible for re-election at the end of this period if he or she wishes to stand again.

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 numbers 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 between two and four other members of the Club, each of whom shall be elected to serve for a period of up to three years, but shall be eligible for re-election at the end of this period if they so wish.
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 the Committee.
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.

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 Secretary, 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 the Vice-Chairman 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 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 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 ten members present in person.
9.10. 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 Special General Meeting of the 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 hand or by post to the last address of each member notified to the Secretary.
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 displaying a notice in a prominent position at the headquarters of the Club, or by post to the last address of each member notified to the Secretary.
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 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 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 31st January 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 visitors until his subscription has been paid in full.
12.2. 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.
12.3. Each successful applicant for membership of the Club may be required to pay a joining fee, the amount 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 increase the basic amounts of subscriptions and table money prior to the ensuing Annual General Meeting.
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. FINANCES

13.1 A Bank or Building Society account shall be opened in the name of Portchester Friday Afternoon Bridge Club with such a body as the Committee shall from time to time decide. The Committee shall authorise in writing the Treasurer, the Secretary and two members of the Committee to sign cheques on behalf of the Club. All cheques must be signed by not less than two of the four authorised signatories.
13.2 The Honorary Treasurer shall keep proper accounts of the finances of the PFABC
13.3 The accounts shall be inspected at least once a year by the auditor or auditors appointed at the Annual General Meeting.
13.4 An inspected statement of the accounts for the last financial year shall be submitted by the Committee to the Annual General Meeting for approval.
13.5 All money raised by or on behalf of the PFABC shall be applied to further the Club. Nothing herein contained shall prevent the repayment to members of the Committee of reasonable out-of-pocket expenses

14. GUESTS and VISITORS

14.1. Any member may invite a guest 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. Visitors may be permitted 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 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.
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 for membership has been considered by the Committee, even if the limit imposed by the Committee is thereby exceeded.

15. CONDUCT

15.1. In the event of a complaint being made to the Committee about the conduct of a member of the Club the Committee may (and if a written complaint is received signed by at least three members of the Club, it 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.
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 reprimand, suspend or expel 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 decision of the Committee shall not be put into effect 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 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).

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 used for the benefit of, or divided between remaining members.