Sarisbury Bridge Club

1. NAME

The Club shall be called the Sarisbury Bridge Club

2. OBJECTS

The object of the Club shall be to enable its members to play Duplicate Contract Bridge in a safe, friendly and sociable atmosphere.

3. HEADQUARTERS

The headquarters of the Club shall be situated at the Genesis Centre, Locks Heath, Hants..

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 subject to approval.
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. Any member wishing to object to an application for membership should notify the Secretary in writing.
5.5. In declining an application the Committee may give a reason but shall not be obliged to do so.
5.6. 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.
5.7. A member shall cease to be a member of the club immediately if expelled from the club under the provisions of clause 14, or if his resignation in writing is delivered to the Secretary.
5.8. 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.
5.9. 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 ,

5.10 Prospective members should attend at least four sessions of bridge at the club as guests or visitors before eligible for membership.

6. OFFICERS

6.1. The Officers of the Club shall be the Chairman, Secretary and Treasurer.
6.2. No member of the Club shall simultaneously hold the office of more than one the above positions in 6.1 above.

6.3. The election of Officers of the Club shall be conducted at the Annual General Meeting of the Club.

6.4. Should any Officer position fall vacant during the year, 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 between two and five other members of the Club..
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 co-opted members,

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 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. The financial year of the the club shall run from 1st April each year to 31 March the following year.

9.2. An Annual General Meeting of the Club shall be held each year no later than four weeks after the end of the financial year.
9.3. 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.
9.4. A Special General Meeting of the Club may be convened by the Committee on its own initiative at any time.
9.5. All General Meetings of the Club shall be held at the headquarters of the Club unless circumstances arise which render this impracticable.
9.6 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.
9.7. 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. Notice will be given by at least one or more of the following: Club Web Site, Verbal Notification, Email, Club Notice-board, as determined by the Committee.
9.8. 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.
9.9 The chairman of the meeting may permit discussion of other business at a General Meeting if he thinks fit.
9.10. A quorum at General Meetings of the Club shall be ten members present in person.
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. NOMINATIONS

10.1. 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.
10.2. Nominations must reach the Secretary no later than one week prior to the date fixed for the Annual General Meeting.

10.3. The Chairman may allow late nominations to considered if in the interests of the Club.

11. SUBSCRIPTIONS and FEES

11.1. 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 on 1^st April each year in respect of the year to the following March.

11.2. 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 shall be decided at the Annual General Meeting of the Club.
11.3. Each successful applicant for membership of the Club may be required to pay a joining fee, the amount of which shall be decided at the Annual General Meeting of the Club.

12. FINANCES

12.1 A Bank or Building Society account shall be opened in the name of Sarisbury Bridge Club with such a body as the Committee shall from time to time decide. The Committee shall authorise in writing the Treasurer, and not less than two other 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.
12.2 The Honorary Treasurer shall keep proper accounts of the finances of the Sarisbury Bridge Club.
12.3 The accounts shall be inspected at least once a year by the examiner appointed at the Annual General Meeting.
12.4 An inspected statement of the accounts for the last financial year shall be submitted by the Treasurer to the Annual General Meeting for approval.

13. GUESTS and VISITORS

13.1. 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.
13.2. 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. CONDUCT

14.1. In the event of a complaint being made during play, the complainant must immediately summon the Director. Should the matter not be able to be resolved immediately a written complaint may be submitted to the committee for further investigation.

14.2. On investigating such a complaint the Committee shall, except in extreme circumstances, give the member, about whose conduct the complaint has been made, a copy of any letter of complaint received and thus an informed opportunity to present their case.
14.3. If on investigating such a complaint, and having heard both sides, 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.
14.4. 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. ALTERATIONS TO THE CONSTITUTION

15.1. No alterations shall be made to this constitution except at a General Meeting of the Club.
15.2. 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.

16. WINDING-UP

16.1. 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.
16.2. 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.