Constitution (Revised 2021)
Club Name and Aims
The club shall be known as Frome Wessex Camera Club. Hereinafter referred to as 'the club'.
The club aims to provide the opportunity for members to expand their photographic knowledge and skills through the exchange of ideas and mutual assistance and an organized program of meetings, events, competitions and exhibitions.
Membership
Membership shall be open to the whole community regardless of sex, age, disability, ethnicity, nationality, sexual orientation, religion or other beliefs. A parent or guardian when attending any club meeting or event must accompany minors under the age of 18.
The committee may refuse or revoke membership, but only for good cause, such as conduct or character likely to bring the club into disrepute. Appeal against the refusal or removal may be made to the members at an Extraordinary General Meeting.
An annual subscription is payable by all members. The level of subscription will be reviewed annually by the committee and set at the AGM.
Data Protection Policy
The Frome Wessex Camera Club (FWCC) is established with the objects set out in its Constitution, to serve the interests of its members.
The personal information referred to in this Policy may include name, distinctions, contact details, records of entries to events, and such other information as may be necessary for the effective management of the legitimate interests of the FWCC. Any member wishing to verify the information held by the FWCC, or who can correct or update that information, may apply to the Secretary. Please note that we do not share this information with any third parties outside the FWCC.
The FWCC collects and uses personal information for several purposes:
Membership details held by the club Secretary.
To contact members about club activities.
Membership details required for the records of the DI, Print, and Battle secretaries to facilitate the operation of club competitions.
For the purposes of entering Federation and PAGB events.
For the purposes of entering other National and International exhibitions or other competitions as felt suitable by the FWCC.
General Business:
The FWCC may hold personal information for anyone contacting the FWCC, or whom the FWCC contacts for the purpose of conducting its general business.
This information is used to satisfy a requested service or a contractual requirement.
Data Retention:
The FWCC may retain historical data and management archives until the FWCC decide to delete the data. General business records will normally be held for a minimum of eight years.
Any member may request to verify the accuracy of their personal contact data or to request its deletion by request to the Secretary. The contact data is reviewed and updated annually and is only distributed to FWCC Committee members. No FWCC Committee member may divulge any contact information to any person outside the club. [NB Constitution amended at AGM on 25.5.18]
Frome and Wessex Camera Club Code of Conduct
We are committed at all meetings and events to creating a harmonious and safe club environment in which members can enjoy photography. In order to achieve this all members have the responsibility to understand and adhere to our Club Code of Conduct which is detailed below:
If any member’(s) behaviour causes concern, a senior committee member present (in the order of Chair, Vice Chair, Secretary, Treasurer, any other Committee Member) has the power to enforce the following procedure:
The Committee
The management of the Club shall be vested in the committee, which will consist of a minimum of seven members and maximum of 12 members (including co-opted members). In order to make the club more inclusive and offer an opportunity for more members to be involved in the running of the club, the committee will increase the maximum number of committee members from 12 to 15. [NB Constitution amended at EGM on 28.5.21]
The committee shall always include the following officers as a minimum: Chair, Vice-chair, General Secretary and Treasurer. Other officers may be elected at the AGM or appointed from the elected committee members at the first committee meeting after the AGM. In event of a vacancy occurring on the committee between AGM's, the committee shall have the power to appoint a successor, until the next AGMThe committee may co-opt additional members for specific tasks. Co-opted members will have no voting rights. The quorum for committee meetings is five (not including co-opted members) and must include two officers. Committee decisions will be decided by majority vote, with the Chair having a casting vote.
Nomination and Election of Officers and Committee
All committee members shall retire each year and be eligible for reselection at the AGM. The exception to his is the Chair who shall serve no more than three consecutive years and then shall not be reappointed until after a further period of one year. [NB Constitution amended at EGM on 26.5.17]
All nominees and those proposing and seconding, must be current members of the club and have no outstanding subscriptions due.
Nominations must be submitted in writing to the General Secretary not less than 14 days before the AGM. Submission must include name and membership number of nominee and their agreement to proposal, name and membership number of those proposing and seconding the nomination. Should nominations received exceed the number required; the result will be determined by ballot at the AGM. Should insufficient nominations be received before the AGM, then nominations may be received at the AGM, subject to the nominee being willing to serve.
Annual General Meeting (AGM)
An AGM will be held annually at the end of the season, normally in May each year. It will deal with the following:
Reports from Chair and other officers as appropriate;
Treasurer’s report and audited accounts;
Election of officers and other committee members (see 4 above);
Subscription rates;
Amendments to club rules or constitution, any other business, appropriate for the AGM.
Agenda items, motions and committee nominations must be submitted to the General Secretary no less than 14 days before the AGM.
The quorum for an AGM will be 15% of the membership.
Extraordinary General Meeting (EGM)
The committee may call an EGM at any time to deal with unexpected or special circumstances.
The committee is bound to call an EGM if requested to do so in writing (and signed) by at least 51% of the current membership. The request must be delivered to the General Secretary and include explicit details of the items to be raised.
The committee must hold the EGM within 21 days of receipt of the request whether from the committee itself or from the membership.
No other business may be conducted at an EGM than that which caused the request to be made.
The quorum for an EGM will be 15% of the membership.
Amendments to Club Rules, Competition Rules or Constitution
No amendments to the existing club rules or club constitution shall be made except at an AGM or EGM.
Notice of intention to propose such a change must be given to the General Secretary no less than 14 days before an AGM and 21 days before an EGM.
The committee can decide amendments to the club rules.
Where any dispute arises in relation to existing competition rules, club rules or the constitution, the committee's decision shall be final.
Finance
All expenditure to be overseen by the committee, all club funds must be banked with recognized banks or building societies.
The Treasurer shall keep and maintain such records and accounts, as the committee shall agree. He/she will render an audited statement account to the members at the AGM,
The committee may appoint an Honorary Auditor.
Cheques must require two signatories, one of which must the Treasurer and the second to be one or more officers as agreed by the committee.
Winding Up
The decision to wind up the club can only be taken at an AGM or an EGM, In the absence of a quorum at such a meeting, a motion signed by 10 members or 10% of the membership, whichever is the greater, shall constitute the same decision.
Following the decision to disband, after discharging all debts and liabilities, the whole of the assets of the club-shall be given or transferred to a charitable or voluntary organisation at the discretion of the committee.
Liability on each member shall not exceed 25p.
Club Name and Aims
The club shall be known as Frome Wessex Camera Club. Hereinafter referred to as 'the club'.
The club aims to provide the opportunity for members to expand their photographic knowledge and skills through the exchange of ideas and mutual assistance and an organized program of meetings, events, competitions and exhibitions.
Membership
Membership shall be open to the whole community regardless of sex, age, disability, ethnicity, nationality, sexual orientation, religion or other beliefs. A parent or guardian when attending any club meeting or event must accompany minors under the age of 18.
The committee may refuse or revoke membership, but only for good cause, such as conduct or character likely to bring the club into disrepute. Appeal against the refusal or removal may be made to the members at an Extraordinary General Meeting.
An annual subscription is payable by all members. The level of subscription will be reviewed annually by the committee and set at the AGM.
Data Protection Policy
The Frome Wessex Camera Club (FWCC) is established with the objects set out in its Constitution, to serve the interests of its members.
The personal information referred to in this Policy may include name, distinctions, contact details, records of entries to events, and such other information as may be necessary for the effective management of the legitimate interests of the FWCC. Any member wishing to verify the information held by the FWCC, or who can correct or update that information, may apply to the Secretary. Please note that we do not share this information with any third parties outside the FWCC.
The FWCC collects and uses personal information for several purposes:
Membership details held by the club Secretary.
To contact members about club activities.
Membership details required for the records of the DI, Print, and Battle secretaries to facilitate the operation of club competitions.
For the purposes of entering Federation and PAGB events.
For the purposes of entering other National and International exhibitions or other competitions as felt suitable by the FWCC.
General Business:
The FWCC may hold personal information for anyone contacting the FWCC, or whom the FWCC contacts for the purpose of conducting its general business.
This information is used to satisfy a requested service or a contractual requirement.
Data Retention:
The FWCC may retain historical data and management archives until the FWCC decide to delete the data. General business records will normally be held for a minimum of eight years.
Any member may request to verify the accuracy of their personal contact data or to request its deletion by request to the Secretary. The contact data is reviewed and updated annually and is only distributed to FWCC Committee members. No FWCC Committee member may divulge any contact information to any person outside the club. [NB Constitution amended at AGM on 25.5.18]
Frome and Wessex Camera Club Code of Conduct
We are committed at all meetings and events to creating a harmonious and safe club environment in which members can enjoy photography. In order to achieve this all members have the responsibility to understand and adhere to our Club Code of Conduct which is detailed below:
- all members are entitled to be treated with dignity, respect and common courtesy in their contact with others, and they must always act with integrity towards every member and guest to the club.
- the committee has a duty to protect all members and guests from any behaviour that interferes with a member’s participation and enjoyment of the club including, but not limited to, the following: any threatening or obscene behaviour including racist, sexist or inflammatory remarks, harassment, intimidation, bullying (physical, emotional, or cyber) and any other conduct that interferes with other members’ participation and enjoyment of the club.
If any member’(s) behaviour causes concern, a senior committee member present (in the order of Chair, Vice Chair, Secretary, Treasurer, any other Committee Member) has the power to enforce the following procedure:
- A verbal warning will be given to the member(s) first.
- If the member(s) do not alter their behaviour they will respectfully be asked to leave the meeting.
- If required a follow-up private interview with the member(s) concerned will be actioned by the Chairperson and Secretary. Two committee officers will be present at any follow-up interview and discussion notes will be taken. The committee can suspend any member(s) until such time as they agree to again act in a reasonable manner.
- The committee will consider withdrawing membership status completely if the behaviour is considered detrimental to the overall welfare of the Frome & Wessex Camera Club (FWCC).
- A member may be suspended or expelled by the Committee for good and sufficient reason. The Committee shall have full discretion as to what constitutes “good and sufficient reason”. The committee's decision is final.
- We ask that all mobile phones are switched off or changed to silent mode during meetings.
- Please respect other people's property.
- The club's equipment is not to be used or taken from the premises without prior consent of the committee. [NB Constitution amended at AGM on 26.06.20]
The Committee
The management of the Club shall be vested in the committee, which will consist of a minimum of seven members and maximum of 12 members (including co-opted members). In order to make the club more inclusive and offer an opportunity for more members to be involved in the running of the club, the committee will increase the maximum number of committee members from 12 to 15. [NB Constitution amended at EGM on 28.5.21]
The committee shall always include the following officers as a minimum: Chair, Vice-chair, General Secretary and Treasurer. Other officers may be elected at the AGM or appointed from the elected committee members at the first committee meeting after the AGM. In event of a vacancy occurring on the committee between AGM's, the committee shall have the power to appoint a successor, until the next AGMThe committee may co-opt additional members for specific tasks. Co-opted members will have no voting rights. The quorum for committee meetings is five (not including co-opted members) and must include two officers. Committee decisions will be decided by majority vote, with the Chair having a casting vote.
Nomination and Election of Officers and Committee
All committee members shall retire each year and be eligible for reselection at the AGM. The exception to his is the Chair who shall serve no more than three consecutive years and then shall not be reappointed until after a further period of one year. [NB Constitution amended at EGM on 26.5.17]
All nominees and those proposing and seconding, must be current members of the club and have no outstanding subscriptions due.
Nominations must be submitted in writing to the General Secretary not less than 14 days before the AGM. Submission must include name and membership number of nominee and their agreement to proposal, name and membership number of those proposing and seconding the nomination. Should nominations received exceed the number required; the result will be determined by ballot at the AGM. Should insufficient nominations be received before the AGM, then nominations may be received at the AGM, subject to the nominee being willing to serve.
Annual General Meeting (AGM)
An AGM will be held annually at the end of the season, normally in May each year. It will deal with the following:
Reports from Chair and other officers as appropriate;
Treasurer’s report and audited accounts;
Election of officers and other committee members (see 4 above);
Subscription rates;
Amendments to club rules or constitution, any other business, appropriate for the AGM.
Agenda items, motions and committee nominations must be submitted to the General Secretary no less than 14 days before the AGM.
The quorum for an AGM will be 15% of the membership.
Extraordinary General Meeting (EGM)
The committee may call an EGM at any time to deal with unexpected or special circumstances.
The committee is bound to call an EGM if requested to do so in writing (and signed) by at least 51% of the current membership. The request must be delivered to the General Secretary and include explicit details of the items to be raised.
The committee must hold the EGM within 21 days of receipt of the request whether from the committee itself or from the membership.
No other business may be conducted at an EGM than that which caused the request to be made.
The quorum for an EGM will be 15% of the membership.
Amendments to Club Rules, Competition Rules or Constitution
No amendments to the existing club rules or club constitution shall be made except at an AGM or EGM.
Notice of intention to propose such a change must be given to the General Secretary no less than 14 days before an AGM and 21 days before an EGM.
The committee can decide amendments to the club rules.
Where any dispute arises in relation to existing competition rules, club rules or the constitution, the committee's decision shall be final.
Finance
All expenditure to be overseen by the committee, all club funds must be banked with recognized banks or building societies.
The Treasurer shall keep and maintain such records and accounts, as the committee shall agree. He/she will render an audited statement account to the members at the AGM,
The committee may appoint an Honorary Auditor.
Cheques must require two signatories, one of which must the Treasurer and the second to be one or more officers as agreed by the committee.
Winding Up
The decision to wind up the club can only be taken at an AGM or an EGM, In the absence of a quorum at such a meeting, a motion signed by 10 members or 10% of the membership, whichever is the greater, shall constitute the same decision.
Following the decision to disband, after discharging all debts and liabilities, the whole of the assets of the club-shall be given or transferred to a charitable or voluntary organisation at the discretion of the committee.
Liability on each member shall not exceed 25p.
