Society Constitution

CARDIFF & AVONSIDE RAILWAY SOCIETY SOCIETY CONSTITUTION

1.        The name of the Society shall be the "Cardiff & Avonside Railway Society", hereinafter referred to as the Society. 

2.        The aim of the Society is to further the interests of railway enthusiasts, particularly those in the South Wales and South West areas. This shall be performed by the Society being run by a governing body, known as the Committee, whose terms of reference shall be this constitution. The decisions and actions of the Committee shall at all times be both constitutional and in the best interest of the Society.

3.         Membership shall be recognised by the payment of a subscription, the amount of which is fixed by the Committee, and by adherence to such rules and regulations as are laid down by the Committee and contained in other documents.

4.        The Committee shall consist of members of the Society, elected by a meeting of the membership, hereinafter referred to as a General Meeting. A General Meeting to which all members are invited, shall be the ultimate decision‑making body of the Society to which all members are invited. A General Meeting can alter any decision made by the Committee. A decision made at a General Meeting shall be binding only if the meeting is quorate. A quorum shall be 15% or more of the membership of the Society on the day of the meeting. All voting at a General Meeting shall be by secret ballot, unless unanimously agreed otherwise by the General Meeting. Proxy voting will be allowed. The minutes of any General Meeting shall be distributed to all Society members within three months of the meeting. The minutes of any General Meeting shall be distributed to all Society members within three months of the meeting.

5.         The Committee shall make all decisions affecting the running of the Society and shall be answerable to a General Meeting for its actions. A decision made by the Committee shall be binding on the members of the Society, unless reversed by a General Meeting.

6.         There shall be, within thirteen weeks of the end of the Society's financial year, an Annual General Meeting (AGM). The main purpose of this AGM shall be the election of the Committee members, the appointment of the auditor, the presentation of annual reports and audited accounts, and any necessary ratification of Committee decisions.

The members of the Committee of the day shall conduct each AGM. These members shall retire at the meeting, and a new Committee elected in their place. Nominations for the new Committee must be sent to the General Secretary at least ten days before the AGM. They must carry the signatures of two Society members - one proposer and one seconder. Members will be elected to the Committee in general, and not to cover any particular duty.

7.        The number of Committee Members shall be adequate to cover the duties involved in the running of the Society. Between General Meetings, the Committee shall have the power to change both its membership and structure, subject to ratification by the subsequent General Meeting.

8.        Currently the duties of the Committee cover the following areas which are defined in detail in procedure documents maintained by the Committee.

             ·         General Secretary

·         Membership

·         Arranging Events

·         Event bookings

·         Magazine Production

·         Printing of Society publications and documents

·         Distribution of Society publications and documents

·         Treasurer

·         Production of an annual financial statement for presentation at the AGM that has been audited by a non-Committee member. 

·         Arranging overnight accommodation

·         Publicity

·         Maintaining an on line presence

·         Sales

·         Archiving relevant Society documents

            The duties shall be spread among the Committee and be shared as deemed necessary. The name and contact details of the primary person to contact for these duties will be made known to the membership.

9.         The Committee shall have the power to call additional General Meetings if it considers it necessary. It is required to hold a General Meeting if a request is sent to the General Secretary supported by the signatures of at least 15% of Society members.

10.       The Committee shall have the power to amend this constitution between General Meetings, subject to ratification by the subsequent General Meeting.

This version ratified by:  Cardiff and Avonside Railway Society, Annual General Meeting, 2nd July 2016