1. Title
The name of the Club shall be Dorking & District Model Railway Club.
2. Aims
To promote fellowship and goodwill by the furthering of interest in all aspects of model railways of all gauges and any other subjects connected with it.
3. Administration
The Club shall be administered by a Management Committee (Committee) consisting of the following Officers:
Chairman
Secretary
Treasurer
Exhibition Manager
and optionally up to 3 Members
Posts on the Committee may be filled by Full Members or Honorary Members as approved at the AGM (Annual General Meeting).
Elections will be held annually at the AGM and Officers will serve for a period of one year following appointment. They will automatically continue their post thereafter but will be nominated for re-election after serving 2 years.
The Committee:
a) shall be empowered to fill any vacancies occurring in its composition during its term of office and co-opt additional Members as and when it is deemed necessary;
b) may appoint sub-committees to administer specific requirements, projects or events;
c) may reorganise the Officers roles and responsibilities subject to size of membership;
d) shall exercise the day-to-day control of the Club and make rules for this purpose;
e) shall be responsible for making suitable arrangements for the safe custody, repair and insurance of the Club's property;
f) shall ensure that all statutory duties relating to the Club are complied with;
g) may refuse membership of the Club or suspend and/or terminate membership of the Club; and
h) remove from office any elected Committee Officer who the Committee consider fails to fulfil the obligations of such role and at the time of such removal elect a replacement Member of the Committee to fulfil that role until the next AGM.
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.
4. Finance
The Committee is responsible for raising the necessary funds to achieve the Club’s Aims and Objectives. They may do so by requiring 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. 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. 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.
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. The financial year shall follow the conventional year commencing 1st January and the Treasurer will submit reports and statements as to the financial affairs of the Club at the AGM. Ad hoc reports will also be available, as necessary, at any EGM's (Extraordinary General Meetings) for the perusal by Committee Members, and all records produced through the year to be available to all paid up Members at the AGM and via the Members’ section of the Club’s website.
The funds of the Club, including all subscriptions, donations, contributions and bequests, shall be paid into an account operated by the Committee in the name of the Club at such bank or building society as the Committee shall from time to time decide. The Club shall maintain a current account, as detailed above, and may also open a savings account to act as a reserve. Authorisation of all payments including cheques, BACS or similar transfers and cash payments shall only be made on the signatures of any two of three Officers. Bank accounts may be administered online and any other services provided by the bank will be utilised if it is advantageous to the Club’s operations subject to the requirement that two persons must authorise any payment.
The Treasurer shall keep accounts of all financial transactions made by the Club. The Accounts shall be audited by two Full Members nominated by the Committee and reported on by the Treasurer.
5. Records
The Secretary shall record the Minutes of all AGMs, EGMs and Committee Meetings and shall provide the same 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. Agreed minutes will also be made available to all Club Members.
The Secretary shall maintain a Register of all 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 is consent to this requirement.
6. Meetings
The AGM shall be held in March or April. Members shall be given 14 days notice in writing of the AGM. An EGM may be called at any time at the discretion of the Committee. Committee meetings will take place from time to time as activities dictate.
The Chairman shall act as chairman at all meetings. If the Chairman is absent for any meeting, the Members of the Committee present shall choose one of their number to be Chairman of the meeting before any other business is transacted. For Committee meetings, there shall be a quorum when at least three Members of the Committee are present at the meeting.
7. Exhibitions & Open Days
Exhibitions and Open Days will be organised from time to time in accordance with approval from the Committee as a means of generating funds to support the expenses of the Club. Raffles and cash generating activities will be sanctioned at the discretion of the Committee.
8. Membership
The Club shall be open to all persons age 18 years and above. The Club will do its best to include vulnerable adults and those with disabilities where appropriate support acceptable to the Committee is available.
Membership of the Club is divided into the following classes:
FULL MEMBER: Full voting Member
HONORARY MEMBER: As elected at either the AGM or EGM
ASSOCIATE MEMBER: For relatives and/or friends of Members or Members not attending regularly due to distance or other cause.
Subscriptions will become due on the 1st January. Full Members may pay subscriptions either as an annual lump sum or by monthly payments of one twelfth of the annual membership. Payments should preferably be paid by bank transfer or standing order but where not possible, cash or cheque payments are acceptable. Any Member who has not paid their subscription (lump sum on 1 January or any monthly payment if paying Page 3 of 4 monthly) within three months of it being due will be deemed to have resigned from the Club.
Associate Members, who are entitled up to 5 visits per year, may be required to pay on a per visit basis at a rate decided by the Committee.
A levy may be made by the Officers to assist with expenses incurred in providing refreshments and other operational costs outside the normal membership fee.
Applications for membership of the Club shall be subject to approval of the Committee.
Members who leave during the period their subscription is valid shall be entitled to a refund of a proportion of monies paid on a pro rata basis. Similarly, Members joining during the year shall be expected to pay a proportion of the full subscription, both proportions to be decided by the Committee.
Members leaving the Club are required to return any Club assets they may have including Clubhouse keys.
9. Voting at AGMs and EGMs
Full and Honorary Members shall have one vote on any resolution on which they are entitled to vote.
Associate Members will have no voting rights. Every resolution shall be decided by a majority of votes by those present and entitled to vote on the question but in the case of a tied vote the Chairman of the meeting shall have a second and casting vote. Voting will be by a show of hands.
10. Visitors
Each member shall be entitled to introduce visitors to the Club’s meetings with the following provisos:
a) They shall not be introduced more than five times in one year; and
b) That they have not been expelled from the Club, or refused membership.
11. 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.
12. Disclaimer of Responsibility
The Health and Safety of Members and visitors of the Club is the responsibility of those persons and who also who have a duty to protect other Members and visitors. Neither the Club or its Officers, individually or collectively, shall be responsible for any loss or injury sustained by any Officer, Member or Visitor, on any activity of the Club. Furthermore, the Club and its Members shall not be in any circumstances liable for loss of or damage to the property of any Officer, Member or visitor. All persons taking part in the activities of the Club shall be held by this rule to have accepted this condition, and the onus for acquainting visitors with this rule shall rest upon the Members inviting them.
Members using the Clubhouse should, wherever possible, ensure they are not the sole person present. If they are unaccompanied, they should not engage in any activities carrying a risk to themselves (such as operating powered equipment or any heavy lifting). Members using the Clubhouse unaccompanied do so at their own risk and neither the Club or its Officers, individually or collectively, shall be responsible for any loss or injury sustained by any Member in such circumstances.
13. Vulnerable Persons
Minors are only permitted to access any Club events, including exhibitions, in the presence of their legal guardian who must remain with them at all times. Adults with conditions that make them vulnerable in law are required to make a full declaration at application to join, and to update by declaration of any subsequently developing condition. Undeclared conditions invalidate membership immediately on detection and that person will be considered to have never been a member.
14. Private Layouts
Subject to the discretion of the Committee, and if space allows, Full Members may site private model railway layouts in the Club rooms, on the following conditions:
a) Private Layouts are not owned in any way by the Club and are therefore not classed as an active Club project;
b) Private layouts are located in the Clubhouse at the owners risk. The Club will not be liable for any damage or loss of such layouts whilst on the Club’s premises;
c) A change in membership from Full Member to Associate or Honorary membership will result in the agreement being void;
d) Other Members are able to operate the layout, subject to the owner’s permission;
e) Agreed space is subject to availability and should the Group require the space for Club projects, they will take priority; and
f) If the Club has to move Clubhouse all agreements will be null and void and previous agreements do not give a right to a new agreement.
15. General
Any alteration to the Constitution may only be made at the AGM at which no less than 66% of paid up Members must be present and no less than 75% of those present must vote in favour of the motion.
Notice of proposed alterations to the Constitution must be sent in writing, to be received by the Secretary no less than fourteen days before the AGM.
The Club shall not be used for any commercially organised activity, except those endorsed by the Committee and its Officers for the benefit of the Club. Any resignation, change of address, mobile number or Email address, must be advised in writing to the Secretary.
All logos, icons, documents and printed material produced for the Club will be deemed to be property of the Club. All documentation generated, either written or computer generated, must be archived in a generally recognised format and be readily available for Club's future use. Computer generated information must be backed up and stored on behalf of the Club and where appropriate, a duplicate copy held in the Clubhouse. Information held by the Club will not be sold or distributed to any third party for material gain and must generally comply with the data protection regulations.
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 incurred with prior authorisation of the Committee and made by them on the Club's behalf.
16. Dissolution
If the Committee decides that it is necessary or advisable to dissolve the Club it shall call a meeting of all Members of the Club, of which not less than 21 days’ notice (stating the terms of the resolution to be proposed) shall be given. If the proposal is supported by two-thirds of those present and voting the Committee shall have power to realise any assets held by or on behalf of the Club. 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. Any assets remaining after the satisfaction of any proper debts and liabilities shall be given or transferred to such other institution or institutions having objects similar to the objects of the Club as the Members of the Club may determine.
These Constitutional Paragraphs have been certified by Members of the Committee.
