Constitution

Forest of Dean Model Railway Club Constitution

1. Introduction:

The purpose of this Constitution is to set out the Aims and Objectives of the Forest of Dean Model Railway Club, hereinafter referred to as “the Club”, and to establish its organisation. This includes the criteria for membership, the responsibilities and duties of the officers, the committee and the ordinary members, and the maintenance of the appropriate administrative and financial records, to ensure that the Club is operating from a sound position.

2. Aims and Objectives:

  1. The Aim of the Club is to foster and encourage the hobby of Railway Modelling in the Forest of Dean.
  2. In order to achieve this objective, the Club shall:
    1. promote, advertise, organise and hold meetings, workshops and exhibitions;
    2. build, acquire, adapt, store and operate model railways;
    3.  acquire and hold stocks of any relevant materials and resources;
    4.  obtain premises, either leasehold or freehold, for the storage, construction and operation of model railways, and for use as a location or locations for exhibitions and meetings;
    5.  subscribe to, and hold, any of the various magazines and articles relevant to the hobby, for the benefit of the membership of the Club;
    6.  receive income and carry out various financial transactions, as required, for the benefit of the membership;
    7.  make representations to the Association of Model Railway Clubs, Wales and West of England, and to other similar bodies, Local Councils and Central Government, as necessary, for the benefit of the membership and the promotion of the hobby.

3. Membership:

  1. Full membership of the Club shall be open to all persons over the age of 16 who express an interest in the Club’s activities.
  2. Junior membership is open to those persons under the age of 16, subject to approval of the application by the Committee, the consent of the parent or guardian in writing and an assurance from the parent or guardian, also in writing, that adequate supervision by an approved person as defined in the appropriate legislation will be provided for the young person at all times whilst on Club premises, or whilst engaged in Club activities.
  3. A subscription will be levied on all members. This will be in two parts:
    1. An annual sum to be approved by the Annual General Meeting (AGM) (see below), and
    2. A weekly sum to be paid for each week where the member has attended a Club meeting; this sum is also to be approved by the AGM.
  4. Members may introduce Guests from time to time to any Club activity. Guests have no entitlement to further participation in Club activities, and they have no vote in General Meetings (see below). Guests who become “regular” attendees will be asked to consider membership of the Club, and they may also be asked for a contribution to the Club funds.
  5. The Committee may exclude any member or guest from Club activities or premises if, in their opinion, such member or guest is acting unsafely or inappropriately, or behaving in such a manner as is likely to bring the Club into disrepute. Any member so excluded has the right of appeal to the Committee, and any such appeal must be considered by persons who were not involved in the original decision for exclusion. Any guest so excluded has no right of appeal, and may only be re-admitted to any Club activities or premises following a decision by the Committee and sent in writing to the guest’s last known address.
  6. Any member who leaves the Club, for whatever reason, is liable for any arrears of subscription, and for the immediate return of any borrowed Club equipment, resources or other property.

4. Committee:

  1. The day-to-day management of the Club’s activities and control of the funds is vested in the Committee.
  2. The Committee shall consist of 3 Officers, who shall be the Chairman, the Secretary and the Treasurer, and 2 Ordinary Members. They shall all hold office for one year, shall be elected at each AGM and shall be eligible for re-election, should they decide to stand again.
  3. A quorum of the Committee shall consist of any 3 Committee Members.
  4. The Committee shall meet not less than twice per year, at such times as is required for the effective governance of the Club’s affairs.
  5. The Committee has the authority to co-opt members to serve on the Committee from time to time. Members may be co-opted for a specific function or duty, or to fill a temporary absence, for whatever reason, until the next AGM.
  6. The Committee shall appoint a Member to represent the Club in the “Association of Model Railway Clubs, Wales and West of England”. Such member shall, ex-officio, be a member of the Club Committee.
  7. The Committee may appoint Members, as required, to represent the Club in other similar organisations, as the Committee sees fit, and to represent the Club to Local Councils and Central Government, as necessary.

5. General Meetings:

  1. The Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the Club is to be held in the fourth quarter of each year. The Calling Notice, including the Agenda for the Meeting, is to be displayed in the Club premises, 4 weeks’ in advance of the Meeting. All fully paid-up members are entitled to attend and to vote. Guests may attend, but they shall have neither a voice nor a vote.
  2. Extraordinary General Meetings (EGM) may be called as often as is considered necessary to conduct the general business of the Club. 4 weeks’ notice of such a meeting is required, displayed in the Club premises, and the notice must specify the business to be transacted.
  3. An EGM may be called by the Committee, and it may be called following a request from the membership, in writing to the Secretary, and signed by not less than 6 members. The request is to state clearly what business is to be discussed.
  4. The AGM will conduct the following business:
    1. receive any apologies for absence;
    2. approve the Minutes of the previous AGM;
    3. receive the Chairman’s Report on the year’s activities;
    4. receive and approve the Treasurer’s Report on the Club’s financial position, for the Financial Year ending on the last banking day of September, including the Balance Sheet and the Statement on Income and Expenditure;
    5. elect the Chairman, Secretary, Treasurer and two Committee Members for the following year;
    6. appoint an Auditor or Auditors, who must not be Officers of the Club, to inspect the financial records and prepare a report and recommendations to the membership;
    7. set the rates of annual and weekly subscriptions for the following year;
    8. ratify, or reject, any changes to the Club Constitution; any such changes are to be published alongside the Calling Notice for the Meeting and the Agenda;
    9. conduct any other business at the discretion of the Chairman.
  5. The decisions taken at the AGM and any EGM about Club activities are binding on all members. Unless otherwise requested, all votes at the AGM and any EGM will be decided on a simple majority show of hands.
  6. The quorum for the AGM and any EGM shall be 40% of the total full membership, or 2/3 of the Committee.
  7. Non-attendance at an AGM or EGM by any member shall not invalidate the business transacted at that meeting.

6. Finance:

  1. The Club’s financial year runs from 1st October to the following 30th
  2. The Committee is responsible for raising the necessary funds to achieve the Club’s Aims and Objectives.
  3. They may do so by requiring members and junior members to pay a subscription, or by charging a fee for the use of Club premises, or both. The Committee may also impose a fee on guests to the Club.
  4. At exhibitions organised by the Club, the Committee may levy an entrance fee on the general public attending the exhibition, and may also receive a percentage of the proceeds from exhibitions run in collaboration with other parties.
  5. The rates for subscriptions shall be decided at the AGM. The rates for other charges and fees shall be determined by the Committee, together with acceptable methods of making payments to the Club. The Committee may, at its discretion, make concessions on an individual basis in the case of hardship.
  6. Members and Junior Members whose subscriptions are not paid by 30th November annually (arrears of more than two months) shall cease to be members.
  7. The Committee may also raise funds through the sale of materials and resources, jumble sales, car boot sales, coffee mornings and other events or activities.
  8. In the exceptional event that the Club is required to discharge all debts in a situation where the total income is insufficient, the Committee is entitled to raise the necessary funds by a levy on the full membership. This levy is to be paid on demand, without any delay.

7. Records:

  1. The Secretary shall record the Minutes of all General and Committee Meetings in Books provided for the purpose. Extracts shall be made available to other parties, on request, in order to fulfil any contractual obligations.
  2. Draft copies of the Committee Minutes shall be provided to all members of the Committee as soon as is practicable after the Meeting, so that any actions agreed at the meeting can be carried out.
  3. Draft copies of the Minutes of all EGM’s and the last AGM shall be available for the whole membership when the Calling Notice of the next AGM is published.
  4. Draft copies of the Minutes of all EGM’s and the last AGM shall be provided to all members of the Committee as soon as is practicable after the Meeting, so that any actions can be carried out.
  5. The Secretary shall be responsible for maintaining the necessary files and ledgers to accurately record the Club’s correspondence.
  6. These records shall be available to the Committee Members, on request, at reasonable times when necessary.
  7. The Secretary shall maintain a Register of all Members and Junior Members, in an appropriate format, either electronically or manually or both, in accordance with the provisions of the Data Protection Act and its amendments. Completion of the Membership Application Form implies consent to this requirement.

8. Accounts:

  1. The Treasurer shall keep accounts of all financial transactions made by the Club.
  2. All monies received by the Club, subscriptions, donations, income from exhibitions, etc, shall be recorded in the appropriate ledger. These sums shall be banked in the name of THE FOREST OF DEAN MODEL RAILWAY CLUB, at a recognised UK Bank.
  3. The Club shall maintain a current account, as detailed above, and may also open a savings account to act as a reserve.
  4. The Treasurer shall be responsible for raising the appropriate cheques, drawn on the Club account, to make any payments for which the Club is liable. All Club cheques are to be signed by two, nominated persons, one of whom is to be the Treasurer. The second signatory is to verify the amount on the cheque against the invoice received, and that the payee details are correct.
  5. The Committee shall review the banking arrangements from time to time, and make recommendations for any proposed changes to either the AGM or an EGM for ratification.
  6. The Club shall maintain separate, named accounts for any Exhibition or Meeting which the Club organises with other parties. The Treasurer shall keep a record of all advances, fees, etc made or received in connection with such events, and is to highlight such payments or receipts where the current Balance Sheet will be affected.
  7. The Treasurer shall balance the accounts on the last banking day in June each year, and shall draw up the Balance Sheet and the Statement of the accounts for presentation to the AGM.
  8. The Treasurer shall make all the Club’s financial records available to the appointed Auditor when required to do so.

9. Liability:

  1. Participation in any or all Club activities by any person shall not impose any liability on the Club for injury, damage or loss to any person or their property.
  2. The Committee shall, nonetheless, take all reasonable precautions to indemnify the Club, its members and servants from any claims or losses which might arise incidentally from participation in meetings, exhibitions, open days, etc, either solely or jointly with other bodies.

10. Dissolution:

  1. In the event of the dissolution of the Club, after full and final settlement of debts, the residue of any funds, materials or resources shall be applied to similar objects or organisations, as the members in General Meeting shall ordain.
  2. Should the available funds be insufficient to cover the outstanding debts, the Club’s materials or resources, or both, shall be offered for sale initially to the Club members at the full, current market value.

11. Application and Amendment of the Constitution:

  1. The Committee is empowered to decide and deal with Club matters not expressly provided for in the wording of this Constitution when the need arises.
  2. Amendments to the Constitution may be proposed by any member at any time, and shall be incorporated into the business of the next Annual General Meeting, or an Extraordinary General Meeting called to discuss the Amendments, whichever is the sooner.
  3. The Secretary shall make copies of this Constitution available to members through the Members Only section of the Club web site, and shall place a copy in the Club premises. Copies may also be made available to any other parties with whom the Club has a contractual obligation should this be necessary.

The original draft was adopted at the Annual General Meeting held at the Club Room on 21st November 2011.

Forest of Dean Model Railway Club Constitution [Record of Development]

Copyright © 2024 All rights reserved.

This document is provided for members of the Forest of Dean Model Railway Club. It may not be copied whole or in part, or be otherwise supplied to third parties, without the prior written consent of:

The Honorary Secretary, Forest of Dean Model Railway Club, at the Club’s Registered address.

Amendment Record
Date Released Date Actioned Actioned by
Original 21st November 2011 21st November 2011 R Edwardes-Evans
Revision 1 31st March 2014 31st March 2014 R Edwardes-Evans