Beckenham and
West Wickham
Model Railway Club
   
Established 1950

Home

Exhibitions

Club Information

Layouts

Links

Contact Us

©1997-2011
Beckenham & West
Wickham MRC

Website maintained by
Greg Marshall

Contact Webmaster
gregmarshall121@hotmail.com

Club Constitution

Adopted by the members at an EGM on 19th September 2005

1. NAME:

The name of the Club shall be the BECKENHAM & WEST WICKHAM MODEL RAILWAY CLUB.

2. OBJECTS:

The objects of the Club shall be:

To promote and encourage the model railway craft in all its branches.
To further the above object by meetings, lectures, exhibitions and other activities.

3. MEMBERSHIP:

Membership of the Club is be divided into the following classes:

ADULT: Aged 18 years and over on the first day of January. The Committee may fix a reduced annual subscription for students in full time education.
JUNIOR: Aged 14 but under 18 years of age. Children under the age of 14 may not become members of the Club, but may attend Club meetings with a parent or guardian who is a member of the Club.
ASSOCIATE: For relatives and/or friends of members or members not attending regularly due to distance or other cause, without power to vote.

Candidates for membership shall apply in writing to the Committee to be elected as a member of the Club. The Committee may, at its absolute discretion, accept or reject any candidature for membership.

Each class of member shall pay an annual subscription in advance at a rate to be fixed by the Committee. Subscriptions shall become due on the first day of January of each year. If any member shall fail to pay their subscription within three calendar months after it shall have become due, their membership of the club shall terminate automatically. However, the Committee, in its absolute discretion, may waive this termination or revive the membership of a lapsed member.

4. MANAGEMENT:

The management of the club shall be entrusted to a Committee consisting of a Chairman, Vice-Chairman, Secretary, Treasurer and Exhibition Manager, who shall be the Officers of the Club. Up to four other members of the Club may also be elected to the Committee. At all meetings of the Committee four shall form a quorum. The Committee shall have power to co-opt members to fill casual vacancies amongst its number, who may serve until the next Annual General Meeting.

Subject to the above power of co-option, Committee members (including Officers) shall be elected by the members at a general meeting of the Club. Subject to the following, each Committee member (including any Officer) shall serve until the Annual General Meeting in the third year following that of their appointment. Any Committee member, (including any Officer) retiring under this provision may stand for re-election. At the first Annual General Meeting after this Constitution has come into force, all Committee members shall retire but may stand for re-election. One third (or as near as possible) of the members who are elected to the Committee at this meeting shall serve for one year, one third shall serve for two years and one third shall serve for three years. Each third as defined shall include at least one Officer and one non-officer Committee member. Subject to the foregoing, in the absence of agreement, the period for which each Officer or other Committee member shall serve shall be determined by lot. In the event of any Committee member (including any Officer) resigning, dying or otherwise leaving during his term of office, any member elected in his place shall serve only until the departed Committee member would have retired, but the new member may then stand for re-election.

The property of the Club (other than cash which shall be under the control of the Treasurer) shall be vested in the Officers of the Club for the time being as trustees, to be dealt with by them as the Committee shall from time to time direct. The Officers of the Club, or any of them may sign agreements or enter into deeds on behalf of the Club for the purposes of implementing decisions of the Committee.

The Committee shall :

a) Exercise the day-to-day control of the Club and make rules for this purpose.
b) Maintain insurance cover as appropriate for liabilities of the Club and its members.
c) Be responsible for making suitable arrangements for the safe custody, repair and insurance of the Club's property.
d) The committee may borrow for the purpose of the Club such amount of money either at one time or from time to time and at such rate of interest and in such form and manner upon such security as the Committee shall deem expedient and may make such dispositions of the Club property or any part thereof and enter into such agreements in relation thereto as the Committee may deem proper for giving security for such loans and interest.
e) Ensure that all statutory duties relating to the Club are complied with.
f) No member of the committee shall be liable to make good out of his own monies any loss occasioned to the club caused by non-compliance with these powers and duties.

5.MEETINGS:

An annual general meeting of the club shall be held either in the month of April or May in each year when the following business shall be conducted:

a) The presentation and (if accepted) the passing of the accounts for the previous financial year ended on the thirty-first day of December prior to the meeting, which accounts shall first have been checked by the club members appointed under (c) below.
b) The election if thought fit of a President and Vice-President(s) who shall serve for a period of three years.
c) The election of the Officers and members to serve on the Committee under clause 4 above.
d) The election of two members (who shall not be members of the Committee) to examine the accounts for the current year.
e) Such other business as shall have been communicated to the Secretary and included in the notice of the meeting.

An extraordinary general meeting may be convened at any time by the Committee and shall be convened within twenty-one days on the requisition of one third of the members in writing to the Secretary stating the purpose for which the meeting is required.

The business at any extraordinary general meeting shall be limited to the matters specified in the notice convening the meeting.

The quorum at any general meeting shall be one third of the members entitled to vote or ten members entitled to vote, whichever shall be the less.

The Secretary shall, at least seven days before any general meeting, ensure that every member receives a notice of the meeting stating the time, the date and the place where it is to be held and the business to be transacted. Any notice sent by post is deemed to have been received within four days of posting.

6. EXPULSION:

The committee shall have power to expel any member who shall offend against the rules of the club or whose conduct in the opinion of the committee renders them unfit for membership of the club. Before any such member is expelled the Secretary shall give them seven days written notice to attend a meeting of the committee which notice shall contain particulars of the complaint made against them. No member shall be expelled without first having an opportunity of appearing before the committee and answering the complaints made against them nor unless at least two thirds of the committee then present vote in favour of their expulsion.

7. LIABILITY AND LIMITATION:

The club and its members shall not be in any circumstances liable for loss of or damage to the property of a member.

8. ALL SERVICES VOLUNTARY:

No gift or payment shall be made out of the Club funds to any member for services rendered to the club, but this rule shall not prejudice the right of a member to recover expenditure authorised by the Committee and made by them on the Club's behalf.

9. DISSOLUTION:

In the event of the Club being dissolved there shall be a Final Meeting of the members of the Club. If at that Final Meeting the members so decide, the Club's remaining funds and other assets shall, after the discharge of all liabilities (including any sums due to the guarantors of any loans raised by the club), be paid or handed over to such one or more clubs or societies with similar objects and in such proportions as the members shall determine. In the absence of any such resolution being passed at the Final Meeting of the Club, the Club's remaining assets shall be realized and, after the discharge of all liabilities, shall be distributed equally between all those persons who are members of the Club at the time of dissolution, which for this purpose shall be taken to be the date upon which the Final Meeting of the Club is held.

10. ALTERATION OF CONSTITUTION:

No alterations, nor additions, to this constitution shall be made except by a resolution carried by a majority of at least two thirds of the members present, voting and entitled to vote at a general meeting, notice of which shall have contained particulars of the proposed alterations or additions.