LAXFIELD & DISTRICT HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY
CONSTITUTION
1. Name
The Society shall be called the Laxfield & District Horticultural Society.
The district to include all parishes touched by a circle of 20 miles from Laxfield Church.
2. Objects
The objects of the Society shall be to encourage and facilitate an interest in horticultural and community activities.
Organizing competitive displays at annual shows, and encouraging the local community to take part will achieve these objectives.
3. Membership
Apart from the officers, committee, and honorary members, there will be no other registered membership of the society.
a. The Society strives to adhere, wherever reasonable and/or practicable to do so, to principles of equality of opportunity and to be sensitive to issues arising from a person’s cultural and/or religious heritage.
b. Any person interested in participating in a society activity may do so, provided they comply with the society’s rules.
c. Honorary members may be appointed from time to time at the discretion of the Committee.
4. Officers and Committee
a. The Committee shall consist of the following Officers: Chairman, General Secretary, Horticultural Secretary, Treasurer plus other elected officers with or without portfolios. The affairs of the Society shall be conducted by a Committee consisting of the Chairman (or his designated deputy), and not less than two other members.
b. The Officers may, at the request of the chairman, appoint from the Committee Members a deputy chairman.
c. The Committee shall have the power to co-opt other members, as circumstances require.
d. All offices shall be held in an honorary capacity.
e. The Committee shall meet as required but no fewer than once each year and a quorum shall be three Members one of whom shall be the Chairman or Deputy Chairman.
f. The Committee may appoint such subcommittees, as they may consider expedient. No Sub-Committee may incur any expense on behalf of the Society without specific authority.
g. The Committee Members shall be eligible for re-election each year.
5. General Meetings
a. An Annual General Meeting shall be held each year in the month of November for the presentation of a report of the year’s activities, including audited accounts, and for the Election of the Committee and an Auditor for the ensuing year. At least 10 days notice in writing or by email of such meeting shall be given to each member.
b. An Extraordinary General Meeting shall be called upon a resolution of the Committee, or upon a request submitted to the Secretary signed by not less than 20% of the members setting forth the purpose for which the meeting is desired. No matters, other than those set out in the Agenda prepared by the committee on the one hand and those set out in the said request on the other hand, shall be discussed at the meeting. Each member shall be given at least ten days’ notice in writing or by email of such meeting, which, in the case of a request by members, shall be held within one month of the receipt of the said request by the Executive.
c. Decisions of any General Meeting shall be those of the majority of the eligible Members present and voting.
d. Honorary Members may attend General Meetings and Extraordinary General Meetings and may join in the discussion but they shall not be entitled to vote and shall not be considered as part of the requisite quorum.
e. In the event of an equality of votes at a General Meeting or a Committee Meeting the person in the chair for such meeting shall have a casting or additional vote.
f. For all business at a General Meeting or Extraordinary General Meeting the quorum shall be not less than 3 of the eligible Members.
6. Financial Matters
a. The financial year shall end on 31st October in each year to which day the accounts shall be balanced and presented to the next Annual General Meeting.
b. At every Annual General Meeting a person shall be elected to serve as Auditor for the ensuing year and they shall audit the accounts not less than 3 days before the next Annual General Meeting.
c. A vacancy in the office of Auditor during the year shall be filled by a person appointed by the committee.
d. The Society shall maintain such Bank or Building Society accounts as the Committee consider convenient and all cheques and orders for the payment of money from any such account shall be signed by such Committee Member(s) as are duly authorized by the Committee
7. Income
a. The society will rely on receipt of donations and fund raising activities.
8. Expulsion of Members
a. The Committee shall have the power to expel any Member whose conduct shall in their opinion render their continued membership untenable. Such Member shall be given not less than seven days’ notice in writing or by email to attend a meeting of the Committee such notice to specify the complaint made.
b. So far as is reasonably practicable the meeting of the Committee shall be held on a date and at a time convenient to both the Member and the Committee.
c. No Member shall be expelled without first having an opportunity of appearing before the Committee and answering the complaint and without a Resolution in support of expulsion by at least two-thirds of the Committee Members present and voting at such meeting.
9. Dissolution
a. If at any General Meeting or Extraordinary General Meeting a resolution to wind up the Society is passed by the required number of Members present and voting, the Committee shall as soon as reasonably practical act as follows:
b. All debts and liabilities of the Society shall be fully discharged;
c. Any remaining assets and property shall be given or transferred free of charge (save for any costs of or associated with transportation and delivery) to such not-for-profit local organisation having objects similar to those of the Society as shall be determined at either of the above-mentioned meetings or, if such an organisation cannot be identified, then to such other not-for-profit organisation or group as shall be determined by either of the said meetings.
d. Upon completion of the disposal of the assets the Society shall be dissolved.
10. Constitution Changes
This Constitution shall not be changed except by a two-thirds majority of the eligible Members present and voting at an Annual General Meeting.
11. Society Rules
Information relating to requirements for society competitions etc. is outside the scope of this document, and treated elsewhere as “Society Rules”. Where there is any conflict with the constitution, the constitution has primacy.
12. Interpretation and Definitions
a. The Committee shall be the sole authority for the interpretation of this Constitution and their decision shall be final and binding.
b. ‘Eligible Members’ means elected Members.
c. Unless the context otherwise requires, the singular includes the plural and vice versa, and the masculine includes the feminine and vice versa.