Constitution
TEES VALLEY TARGET SPORTS CLUB
A registered Community Amateur Sports Club : No. CH 05399
Home Office Approved No. CFP 11-1-7-4-1-2-1-2-3-125
Affiliated to:
NRA (No.1221)
UKPSA (No.55)
BFSS
MLAGB (4660)
NSRA (06673)
LERA
CONSTITUTION
NAME
The name of the Club shall be Tees Valley Target Sports Club, hereinafter
referred to as the Club.
ARTICLE 1 PURPOSES
The purpose of the Club is to facilitate participation in target sports with equipment which must be held on a firearms licence under the laws of the United Kingdom (equipment in this paragraph means firearms, including shotguns where the means of operation is by virtue of either smokeless propellant or black powder. (gun powder )). This includes air rifles subject to licence.
SECONDARY PURPOSE
The secondary purpose of the Club is to facilitate participation in target sports using equipment where no licence is required (equipment in this paragraph means longbows, bows and all derivatives ( excluding crossbows) air rifles and air pistols and all derivatives and airsoft CO2 based equipment).
ARTICLE 2 MEMBERSHIP
Membership of the Club shall be open to anyone interested in the sport on application regardless of sex, age, disability, ethnicity, nationality, sexual orientation, religion or other beliefs. However, limitation of membership according to available facilities is allowable on a non-discriminatory basis.
The Club may have different classes of membership and subscription on a non-discriminatory and fair basis. The Club will keep subscriptions at levels that will not pose a significant obstacle to people participating.
The Club Committee may refuse membership or remove it only for good cause such as conduct or character likely to bring the Club or sport into disrepute. Appeal against removal may be made to the members.
Membership Classes of Firearm and Sport, air rifle and archery shall be introduced with effect from 1st October 2016
ARTICLE 3 OBJECTS
In furtherance of its purposes the Club shall be empowered:
a) To foster and promote all forms of amateur target shooting recognised by the various Associations to which the Club is affiliated.
b) To hold annual competitions.
c) To cultivate high standards of target shooting by organising coaching and training.
d) To ensure the future of the Club by encouraging all members of the community to take up the sport.
e) To raise funds lawfully and receive contributions from any source.
f) To increase and improve range facilities available to the Club.
g) To offer, provide and contribute to prizes for skill in target shooting.
ARTICLE 4 MEMBERSHIP CLASSES
Membership classes are:- Class A: Firearms: Probationer, Full member and Life member.
Class B: Sports: Probationer, Full Sports member.
ARTICLE 5 COMMITTEE
The affairs of the Club shall be conducted by a Committee composed of The Officers plus eight Committee Members.
a) The Committee shall hold office for one year.
b) The Committee shall meet no less than six times in its period of office.
c) The Committee shall not transact any business unless a quorum is present. The presence of six Committee Members shall constitute a quorum.
d) If within half an hour after the appointed time for the meeting a quorum is not present the meeting shall be adjourned to the next convenient date. If at the
adjourned meeting a quorum is not present those members present shall constitute a quorum.
e) The president, vice president and executive officers shall each have been a Full member continuously for not less than 10 years.
f) All serving Committee Members must be current FAC holders capable of holding club firearms and equipment.
g) All committee positions shall carry one vote each and in the event of a tied vote the Chairman shall have the casting vote.
ARTICLE 6 OFFICERS
Officers of the Club will be administrative Officers and will have voting rights at Committee and General Meetings.
President - May attend all meetings, ex officio.
Vice President - May attend all meetings, ex officio.
Chairman - The Chairman will chair Committee Meetings and the Annual General Meeting. In the absence of the Chairman the Committee may elect one of its members to chair
any meeting.
Secretary - The Secretary will keep a complete written record of the proceedings of the Club and shall have the authority of the Committee to superintend the day-to-day
running of the Club.
Treasurer - The Treasurer will keep an accurate record of all monies received, disbursed and invested by the Club and shall present an audited statement of accounts at the
Annual General Meeting.
ARTICLE 7 GENERAL MEETINGS
There shall be at least a once yearly General Meeting of the Club to be held at such time and place as the Committee shall determine, but usually in January of each year to be referred to as the Annual General Meeting (AGM).
NOTICE
The Secretary shall convene General Meetings including the AGM by giving written notice of at least thirty days written notice in the case of Extraordinary General Meetings (EGM) such notice to include time, venue and proposed agenda. A notice to be placed on the Club range notice boards shall constitute written notice.
BUSINESS
The business of an AGM shall include:-
a) The Minutes of the AGM last held and any EGM
b) The Secretary’s report.
c) The Treasurer’s report.
d) Election of the Committee for the following year.
e) Any other business.
VOTING
Voting will be by show of hands. All Class A Firearms members and Class B Sports members may vote. This will be determined by production of membership card showing payment of current year’s membership fee.
QUORUM
A meeting shall transact no business unless a quorum is present. A quorum for a general meeting shall consist of 20% of the Class A membership, or 20 Class A members whichever is the least.
NO QUORUM
If within half an hour after the time appointed for a meeting a quorum is not present, the Chairman shall declare the meeting inquorate and adjourned to the next convenient date, to be determined by the Committee. If at the adjourned meeting a quorum is not present, those members present shall constitute a quorum.
EXTRAORDINARY GENERAL MEETINGS
The Secretary shall, if so requested in writing by no fewer than five Class A members of the Club, call an Extraordinary General Meeting and shall give at least thirty days notice thereof. The agenda of the Extraordinary General Meeting shall be circulated with the notice and no other subjects other than those thereon shall be discussed.
ARTICLE 8 AMENDMENT OF THE CONSTITUTION
The Constitution may be amended by an 80% majority of the members present and voting at an AGM or EGM, provided that fourteen days’ notice of the proposed amendment has been sent to all members. Suggested amendments which are to be submitted to an AGM shall be forwarded to the Secretary in writing no less than 42 days prior to such a meeting.
ARTICLE 9 LEGISLATION AND INTERPRETATION
LEGISLATION
Secretary immediate action provision
In the event of a perceived or actual emergency the Secretary may take such immediate action as seems reasonable to him / her in the circumstances in order to seek to protect, as far as reasonably practicable, public safety, the interests of the Club and its members and the good name of TVTS. A report on any action taken under this paragraph is to be made to the next available committee meeting.
The Committee shall have the power to rule on any matter not provided for in the Constitution and to formulate and promulgate such rules and regulations as it feels desirable for the safe and efficient running of the Club and its shooting facilities.
INTERPRETATION
The Committee shall be the sole authority for the interpretation of the Constitution and of range orders or Club range rules. Committee decisions shall be binding on the Club and its members but subject to an appeal to the members.
ARTICLE 10 FINANCE AND ADMINISTRATION
DUTIES AND STAFF
The Committee may combine, divide and modify the duties of the Administrative Officers and may appoint such additional staff as the sound administration of the Club may require. No such additional staff shall be Administrative Officers under Article 6 unless the Constitution be amended to that effect.
Accounts
The financial year of the Club shall end on 31st December of each year to which date the accounts of the Club shall be balanced.
The accounts shall be audited annually by two Club members (not Officers or Committee Members) elected for that purpose at the Annual General Meeting.
The property and funds of the Club shall be vested in the Committee. All monies shall be paid into the Club’s banking accounts and all authorised expenditure shall be met by drawing on those accounts.
All cheques must be signed by the Treasurer and Secretary.
i\NDEMNIFICATION
By acceptance of membership of the Club each Class A Firearms and Class B Sports member is deemed fully and absolutely to indemnify the Club and the Committee against any claims for injury or loss however caused to or by himself or herself, his or her family or his or her partner or servants at any target shooting event or other event organised by the Club.
INSURANCE
The Club shall pay necessary premiums to effect the cover of third party claims and to provide an indemnity in respect of legal liability for accidents resulting in bodily injury or damage to property arising on any range or at any Club premises. The policy shall indemnify the Club and its officers, organisations to which the Club may be affiliated or which may be affiliated to the Club and the owner of any land or premises concerned and his or her servants.
VISITORS
Visitors may be invited to competitions or to other functions or activities of the Club at the discretion of the committee strictly subject to the requirements of national legislation relating to the use and possession of firearms and shotguns in force at the time.
DISCIPLINE
The club committee may refuse membership or remove it only for good cause such as conduct or character likely to bring the club or sport into disrepute. Appeal against removal may be made to the members.
a) The Committee shall have the power to expel or suspend, or impose any such lesser penalty as it shall think proper on any member whose conduct is in breach of the Club rules, or is likely in the Committee’s view to bring the Club into disrepute.
b) In any such case the Committee shall serve written notice of fourteen clear days of its intention to consider disciplinary action and the grounds thereof, and the party in question shall be invited to attend a meeting of the Committee in order to make representation or to call evidence, or submit a written statement.
c) If two thirds of the members present find the allegations of conduct likely to bring the Club or sport into disrepute substantiated, a motion stipulating the penalty must receive a majority of two thirds in order to take effect. The individual concerned shall be informed in writing of the Committee’s decision.
d) Any reference to members shall be deemed to include Class A and Class B members.
e) Revocation of a firearm or shotgun certificate may, prima facie, be grounds for the termination of membership. Members following an appeal procedure regarding revocation are not allowed on club premises.
ARTICLE 11 TRUSTEES
The Trustees of the Club shall consist of the Chairman and two other Class A members of the Club, and they shall respectively hold office until death or resignation, unless removed from office by a resolution of a General Meeting of the Club. A Trustee must have been a full club member continuously for a period of not less than 20 years.
The Trustees shall be ex-officio members of the Committee. The number of Trustees shall be three and the property of the Club (other than cash which shall be under the control of the Treasurer) shall be vested in them. They shall deal with the property of the Club as directed by resolution of the Committee (of which an entry in the minute book shall be conclusive evidence) and the Trustees shall be indemnified against risk and expense of the Club property.
ARTICLE 12 FUNDING
If at any time the Club in a General Meeting shall pass a resolution authorising the Committee to borrow money, the Committee shall thereupon be empowered to borrow for the purpose of the Club such amount of money either at one time or from time to time and at such rates of interest and in such manner and upon such security as shall be specified in such resolution and thereupon the Trustees shall, at the direction of the Committee make all dispositions of the Club’s property or any part thereof and enter into such agreements in relation thereto as the Committee may deem proper for giving security for such loans and interest. All Class A members of the Club, whether voting on such resolution, shall be deemed to have assented to the same as if they had voted in favour of such resolution.
ARTICLE 13 PROPERTY AND FUNDS
The property and funds of the Club cannot be used for the direct or indirect private benefit of Class A and /or Class B members other than as reasonably allowed by the Constitution and all surplus income or profits are reinvested in the Club.
The Club may provide sporting and related social facilities, sporting equipment, coaching, courses, insurance cover, medical treatment, away- fixture expenses, post fixture refreshments and other ordinary benefits of Community Amateur Sports Clubs as provided for in the Finance Act 2002.
The Club may also in connection with the sports purposes of the Club
# sell and supply food, drink and related sports clothing and equipment;
# employ members (though not for taking part in the sport) and remunerate them for providing goods and services, on fair terms set by the Committee without the person concerned being present;
# pay for reasonable hospitality for visiting teams and guests
# indemnify the Committee and members acting properly in the course of the running of the Club against any liability incurred in the proper running of the Club (but only to the extent of its assets).
The Committee will have due regard to the law on disability discrimination and child protection.
ARTICLE 14 DISSOLUTION
The Class A Firearms and Class B Sports members may vote to dissolve the Club if not less than 80% of those present and voting support the proposal at a properly convened General Meeting.
The Committee will then be responsible for the orderly winding up of the Club’s affairs. After settling all liabilities of the Club the committee shall dispose of the net assets remaining to one of the following:
# to another Club with similar sports purposes which is a registered charity and / or
# to another Club with similar sports purposes which is a registered Community Amateur Sports Club and / or
# to the Club’s governing body for use by related community sports.
ARTICLE 15 PRECEDENCE
Where there is any conflict between Articles 1,2,13,14 (the “Key Articles”) and any other Article or the Club Rules the Key Articles shall take precedence. The interpretation and implementation of all Articles and Club Rules must be consistent with the statutory Home Office rules for approved clubs and consistent with requirements for Community Amateur Sports Clubs.
I certify this document as a true copy of the new Club Constitution agreed at the Extraordinary General Meeting of Tees Valley Target Sports Club held at Borough Park Bowling Club, Redcar on the 17th November 2016 in the presence of 65 Club Members
Secretary David Pengilley ………………..
Treasurer Peter Metcalfe ………………..
Chairman Richard Frankland ………………..
Signed on the
