THE PROBUS CLUB OF DEVIZES

Constitution & Rules (2022)

 

1. INTERPRETATIONS AND DEFINITIONS

 

Reference to the “Constitution” means the Probus Club of Devizes Constitution.

 

Where the male article or pronoun is used that shall be taken to include the female article or pronoun.

 

2.TITLE

 

The Club shall be known as “The Probus Club of Devizes”.

 

3.  PURPOSE

 

The aim of the Club is to provide a regular meeting point for members and to promote social well-being through companionship, discussion and such other pursuits as may be agreed upon. The Club shall be non-political, non-sectarian and non-discriminatory.

 

4. MEMBERSHIP

 

a)Membership is open to all professional and business persons who are resident in the Devizes area who have retired or are partially retired.

 

b)An applicant for membership shall be proposed and seconded by existing members who have been members of the Club for at least two years. It is customary for the member introducing a new applicant to invite that person to attend at least one meeting before his acceptance into the Club. Details of a proposed new member must be provided on the Club's approved form of application obtainable from the Club Registrar or Secretary. All applications for membership must be approved by the Club Committee.

 

c)An application for membership from a member of another Probus Club shall take precedence over any other person wishing to join.

 

d)A register of members and their attendance at meetings will be maintained by the Registrar. Whenever possible, members should advise the Registrar of their intended absence from meetings.

 

e)Every member shall furbish the Registrar with up-to-date contact details that shall be recorded in the register of members, which will be deemed to constitute consent to the holding of relevant personal data for the purposes of the Data Protection Act and the General Data Protection Regulations

 

f)Any notices handed to members in person or sent to a member’s registered address/es either by post or electronically shall be deemed to have been duly served.

 

g)A member shall be deemed to have relinquished his membership in the event that

 

i)the annual subscription has not been paid within three months of the due date

or

 

ii)Attendance at only eight or fewer of the Club's regular meetings in the twelve months preceding a meeting of the Committee.

 

h)The Committee shall review the Attendance Register at their meetings and will consider whether or not there are extenuating circumstances, such as long-term illness, when considering whether or not to apply the provisions of clause 4(g).

 

i)At the discretion of the Committee, paid up members prevented from attending by long term illness or other reason may be transferred to the list of Inactive Members, absolving them from the attendance criteria set out at 4(g)(ii) above.  Inactive members may resume active membership at any time if active membership numbers permit.

 

j)At the discretion of the Committee, Honorary Membership may be offered to a member who has given long and outstanding service to the Club.

 

k)At the sole discretion of the Committee the number of members permitted to join the Club may be limited to facilitate the safe and efficient operation of the Club.

 

l)Every member shall comply with any rules set by the Committee and to conduct themselves to fulfil the purpose of the Club set out in section 3 above.

 

m)In the event that any member fails to comply with the rules of the Club and/or  fails to conduct themselves to fulfil the purpose of the Club or acts in any other way as to call the Club into disrepute then the Committee may expel that member and in such circumstances there shall be no refund of any part of the membership fee.

 

5.  LIABLITY

 

a)Members attending meetings do so entirely at their own risk and must comply with any regulations that the hirer of the premises imposes with regard to the use of the premises.

 

b)The Club will not accept any liability for any damage to or loss of property belonging to members in the course of attending meetings.

 

6.COMMITTEE

 

a) There shall be a Committee responsible for overseeing the affairs of the Club on behalf of its members to ensure its smooth running and success.

 

b) The Committee shall comprise a Chairman, Vice Chairman, Secretary, Treasurer, Programme Co-ordinator, Membership Registrar, Web Master and at least two other members, all to be elected from and by the members at each Annual General Meeting. Club Officer roles may be combined and/or supplemented should the need arise. The Committee shall have power to co-opt.

 

c) The Chairman will not normally hold office for more than one year and on his retirement the Vice Chairman will normally succeed.

 

d) The Chairman shall be an ex-officio member of the Committee for the year following his Chairmanship.

 

e) The Committee may appoint one or more sub-committees.

 

f) Five members of the Committee shall constitute a quorum.

 

7.MEETINGS

 

a)Ordinary meetings of the Club will normally be held on the first and third Tuesday of each month commencing at 10:30 am.

 

b)Any member may occasionally introduce a guest to an ordinary meeting.

 

c)An Annual General Meeting shall be held in the month of February each year. Notice of such meeting shall be served by way of publication in the Meetings Programme and by way of reminder to members attending any of the preceding two ordinary meetings.

 

i.Notice of the AGM will be issued by the Secretary not less than 28 days before the date of the meeting. With the issuing of this notice members will be invited to put forward names of members wishing to be considered for any of the posts or positions on the Committee.

ii.Members so wishing to be considered must complete the Club’s standard nomination form which is to be countersigned by a proposer and seconder both being full members of the Club and the nomination form is to be returned to the Secretary not later than 14 days before the AGM date.

iii.Members of the existing Committee can elect to stand again for the same or any other post or position, however, a new nomination form must be completed as per clause 5.4.

iv.The Chairman will not normally hold the office for more than one year and on his or her retirement the Vice Chairman will normally succeed. The outgoing Chairman shall be an ex-officio member of the Committee for the year following his or her Chairmanship.

v.The Secretary will prepare a list of those members who had submitted a nomination form and the posts or position being sought and circulate such list to the membership 7 days before the AGM.

vi.At the AGM members will be requested to vote on the election of each and every position of the Committee by a show of hands if there is only one member nominated for each position. In the event that more than one member is standing for a particular position then the Secretary will invite those attending to complete a ballot form indicating their preference of candidate and two members not standing for election will be invited to act as “tellers” and to communicate the results of such ballot to the secretary who will announce the result subject only to the situation where the ballot for each candidate is equal and in which case the outgoing Chairman will cast a deciding vote.

vii.If for any reason a casual vacancy shall occur then the Committee may co-opt another full member to fill such vacancy. The Committee may also co-opt further members for specific operational reasons.

viii.Following and not later than four weeks after the AGM the Committee such meet to set a timetable for Committee meetings to held not less than four times a year and to review and re-affirm the  budget of expenditure and income for the year.

 

d)A Special General Meeting may be called by the Committee upon giving at least two weeks’ notice, for any special business. Only those matters included in the agenda for the meeting may be discussed at the meeting. Where the Committee has received a written request from a member that has been countersigned by four further members setting out the matter(s) to be discussed, the above procedure shall be followed.

 

e)At any general meeting a quorum shall be formed by not less than 50% of members present.

 

f)Voting at all meetings shall be by a show of hands, or by ballot if requested by the majority of the members present. In the event of an equal division of votes, the Chairman shall have a second or casting vote.

 

8.  GUESTS

 

Any member may occasionally introduce a guest to a Club meeting.

 

9.FINANCIAL MATTERS

 

a)The membership year shall run from 1st January to 31st December.

 

b)No member shall without the express authority of the Committee incur debts on behalf of the Club or its membership.

 

c)A bank account (or accounts) shall be opened and maintained by the Treasurer. The signatories shall be the Treasurer, the Secretary, Chairman and Vice Chairman.

 

d)All withdrawals or payments shall require the express verification by two signatories, one being the Treasurer, or in his absence the Chairman, and one other of the authorised signatories.

 

e)The annual subscription shall be determined by the Committee and notified to the members at meetings and by written communication prior to the 31st December each year. The full subscription shall be payable annually on 1st January and, unless waived by the Committee, shall be paid by new members on joining.

 

f)A member who retires or leaves the Club during the course of a membership year shall not be entitled to have any part of the annual membership fee refunded.

 

g)A Statement of Accounts for the period to the end of December each year shall be prepared by the Treasurer, audited by the Honorary Auditor and presented for approval at the Annual General Meeting.

 

h)An Honorary Auditor, who may be a member of the Club, shall be appointed at the Annual General Meeting.

 

i)In the event of the winding up of the Club, any surplus funds shall be donated to a charity or charities agreed upon by the Committee.

 

10.  SAFETY and EMERGENCIES

 

a)The Committee shall ensure that the total number of members, guests and speakers at a meeting does not exceed the safe limit of the meeting premises.

 

b)The Committee shall take notice of, and act upon, any directions given by the Government or other authoritative bodies relating to matters of health and safety and issue advice to members to enable the safe conduct of meetings.

 

c)In the event of an emergency the Committee shall be empowered to take whatever action it deems necessary.



11.COMPLAINTS and DISPUTES

If any person is in dispute with or complains about any of the actions of the Club or its Committee then the complainant shall set out the details of such complaint in writing and submit them to the Secretary.  Upon receipt of such details the Secretary shall call a special meeting of the Committee to consider and act upon the nature of the complaint as the Committee deems appropriate and whose decision shall be final.