CONSTITUTION

FOR

PAWLETT SPORTS 

AND 

PLAYING FIELD

ASSOCIATION

1997

Charities Number 1069562

1. NAME

The Club shall be called the PAWLETT SPORTS AND PLAYING FIELD ASSOCIATION 1997.

2.  OBJECTS

The objects of the club shall be to provide for the inhabitants of the Parish of Pawlett and the neighbourhood (hereinafter called ‘the area of benefit’) in the interests of social welfare facilities for the recreation and leisure-time occupation, with the object of improving the conditions of life for the said inhabitants.

3.  MEMBERSHIP

Membership of the Club shall be open without elective process to all persons of 18 and over in The Parish of Pawlett and surrounding towns and villages.  

4.  COMMITTEE

The Club shall be managed day to day by a Committee of members (hereinafter called “the Committee”) who shall be elected at the Annual General Meeting in each year and, subject to termination of office by resignation or otherwise, shall remain in office until their successors are elected at the Annual General Meeting next following their election.  The Committee shall consist of at least two thirds members residing in the Parish of Pawlett.  The Committee shall have power to fill any vacancy that may occur.  The retiring members of the Committee shall be eligible for re-election.  The  Committee shall have the power to co-opt additional members who shall be members of the Club provided that the number of co-opted members does not exceed one third of the total number of elected and ex-officio members.  All members of the Committee shall retire annually but shall be eligible to be appointed or co-opted again.  The Committee shall have the power to appoint such sub-Committee as it may from time to time decide and may determine their powers and terms of reference.  Committee members may resign by writing to The Secretary giving two months notice.

5. TRUSTEES

The Committee shall have the power to appoint a sub-Committee of Trustees who shall oversee the financial health of the Club.  The number of Trustees shall not be less than four nor more than five and shall be appointed at the Annual General Meeting.  Trustees will stand for a period of 5 years to ensure continuity but shall be eligible to be appointed or co-opted again. Any Trustee may call a meeting of the Trustees and minutes of Trustee meetings are reported to the monthly general committee meeting.

The Trustees may employ staff, open and operate such bank and other accounts as are considered necessary and to invest funds and to delegate the management of funds in the same manner and subject to the same conditions as the trustees of a trust are permitted to do by the Trustee Act 2000. 

The Trustees may hold title of all and any real property which may be acquired by or for the purposes of the Club and shall be vested in said Trustees who shall be appointed by the Committee and who shall enter into a Deed of Trust setting forth the purpose and conditions under which they hold the said property in trust for the Club.

A Trustee will cease to hold office if he or she is disqualified from acting as a trustee by virtue of sections 178 and 179 of the Charities Act 2011, is or ceases to be a member of the Club.  Trustees may resign by writing to the Secretary giving two months notice.

6.  SUBSCRIPTION

The annual subscription for members shall be determined from time to time by The Committee.   

NOTE:  The subscriptions should be moderate and 

not such as might reasonably deter any person of 

modest means from joining.

7. TERMINATION OF MEMBERSHIP

The Committee shall have the right for good and sufficient reason to terminate the membership of any member provided that the member shall have the right to be heard by the Committee before a decision is made.

8.  ALTERATION OF RULES

The Committee shall have the power to alter the rules, but no such alteration shall take effect until the same has been confirmed at the Annual General Meeting or a Special General Meeting convened for The purpose and is subject to the conditions set out in Clause 20 hereof.

9.  BYE-LAWS

The Committee shall have the power to make Bye-laws for regulating the conduct and affairs of the Club provided the same are not inconsistent with these rules.  Such Bye-laws shall be posted in some conspicuous part of the Club premises and shall be binding on all the members.

10.  ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING

A General Meeting of the Club shall be held every year during September (where possible or as soon as possible thereafter) to transact the following  business:

(a) For The President to receive the resignation of the Committee, then to appoint the new Committee and Officers.  

(b)  To receive and, if approved, to adopt a statement of the Club’s accounts to the end of the preceding financial year:

(c)  To appoint an Auditor or Auditors: 

(d) To appoint Trustees when necessary:

(e)  To consider, and, if approved, sanction any duly made         alteration of the rules:

f)   To deal with any special matter which the Committee desire   to bring before the members and to receive suggestions from the members for consideration by the Committee.

11.  SPECIAL GENERAL MEETING    

A Special General Meeting may be convened at any time by the Committee, or, a Special General Meeting may be convened within twenty-one days from the receipt of a requisition in writing signed by not less than twenty members specifying the object of the Meeting for any but not exclusively the following purposes:

(a)  to consider and, if approved, sanction any duly made alteration of the rules;

(b)  to deal with any special matter which the Committee may desire to place before the members:

(c)  to receive the resignation of any Committee member or to remove any member or members thereof from office and to fill any vacancy or vacancies caused thereby: 

(d)  to deal with any special matter which the members requiring the Meeting may desire to place before the Club.

A Notice convening a Special General Meeting shall be posted in a public place within the Parish, on the Club website and within the club and shall specify the matters to be dealt with.

12.  OFFICERS

The Annual General Meeting shall elect such Officers of the Club including Chair, Vice Chair, Treasurer and Secretary as it may from time to time determine and such Officers shall be ex-officio members of the Committee and any of the sub Committee appointed by the Committee.

13.  PRESIDENT AND LIFE MEMBERS

The President, Vice President and other Life Members not to exceed 10 in number at any one time may be appointed by the general committee.  The terms and conditions of such appointments shall be decided by the general committee and be appointed at the Annual General Meeting of the Club.

14.  CHAIR AT MEETINGS

At Committee Meetings and at General Meetings a Chairperson shall be elected to preside and he or she shall have a casting or additional vote in the event of equality of votes.

15.  QUORUM

At Committee meetings, five shall form a quorum.  At General Meetings fifteen members shall form a quorum.  

16.  VOTING

Every matter shall be determined by the majority of the members present and voting on the question.

17.  NOTICES OF MEETING

Public notice of every Annual general Meeting shall be posted in a public place within the Parish, on the Club website and within the Club at least fourteen days before the date thereof by affixing a notice to some conspicuous place and by such other means as the conveners of the meeting think fit.  Such notice shall specify the matters to be dealt with.

18.  FINANCE

(a)  All monies raised by or on behalf of the Club shall be applied to further the objects of the Club and for no other purpose.

(b)  The Treasurer shall keep proper Accounts of the finance of the Club.

(c)  The accounts shall be audited at least once a year by a qualified Auditor or Auditors who shall be appointed at the Annual General Meeting.

(d)  An audited statement of accounts for the last financial year shall be submitted by the Trustees to the Annual General Meeting.

19.  DISSOLUTION

If the Committee by a simple majority decides at any time on the grounds of expense or otherwise that it is necessary or advisable to dissolve the Club it shall call a Meeting of all members of the Club who have the power to vote of which Meeting notice shall be given as provided in Clause 17 hereof and shall also be advertised in a newspaper circulating in the Parish of Pawlett and also given in writing to the Charity Commissioners for England and Wales and to Licensing at Sedgemoor District Council.  If such decision shall be confirmed by a simple majority of those present and voting at such Meeting, the Committee shall have power to dispose of any assets held by or in the name of the Club.  Any assets remaining after the satisfaction of any proper debts and liabilities shall be applied towards charitable purposes for the benefit of the inhabitants of  The Parish of Pawlett as the Committee may decide and as may be approved by the Charity Commissioners for England and Wales.

20.  ALTERATIONS TO THE CONSTITUTION

Any proposal to alter this Constitution must de delivered in writing to the Secretary of the Club not less than twenty-eight days before the date of the Meeting at which it is to be considered.  An alteration will require the approval of both:

1. A simple majority of members of the Committee present and voting at a Meeting of the Committee and:

2. Two-thirds majority of members present and voting at a General Meeting.  Notice of each such meeting must have been given in accordance with normal procedure but not less than fourteen days prior to the Meeting in question and giving the wording of the proposed alteration.  No alteration to the Constitution shall be made which would affect the charitable status of the Club.