The object of the Club shall be to provide facilities for its members for playing Duplicate Contract Bridge.
Headquarters
The Headquarters of the Club shall be situated at Bawburgh Village Hall, Bawburgh, Norfolk.
Affiliations
The Club shall be affiliated to the Norfolk Contract Bridge Association (N.C.B.A.) and the English Bridge Union (E.B.U.).
Membership
Membership will be open to all. There will be a concessionary rate for the annual subscription and table money for juniors aged under 25 and in full time education.
All people applying for membership must complete the application form, including getting it proposed and seconded by two separate members of the Club, unless the Committee decides otherwise, and send it to the Membership Secretary.
Where considered appropriate, applicants may be required to play three times as visitors, before the application can be processed.
The Membership Secretary will display the application form on the Club Notice Board for a period of two weeks. Any member wishing to object to an application for membership must notify the Secretary in writing.
At the end of this period, provided they have played three times as visitors (or had this requirement waived), and there are no objections and the Committee is satisfied that the applicant is of a sufficient standard, the Chairman will sign off the application and the Membership Secretary will then confirm their acceptance into the Club by e-mail to the Committee.
The Membership Secretary will then write to the applicant, confirming acceptance of membership, and requesting payment of the annual membership fee. If, regrettably, the applicant is not yet felt to be of a sufficient standard, the Membership Secretary will notify them of the decision in writing. In declining the application, the Committee may give a reason, but shall not be obliged to do so.
The Membership Secretary will then amend the status of the applicant on the Pianola system to "Member".
In considering applications for membership, the Committee shall have regard to the playing facilities available and may from time to time decide that the Club shall be closed to new applications for membership for such periods as it shall decide.
A member shall cease to be a member of the Club immediately, if expelled from the Club under the provisions of the Code of Conduct, or if his or her resignation in writing is delivered to the Secretary.
A member whose subscription has not been paid shall cease to be a member on the expiration of the period of two months from the date on which the subscription was due for payment.
A former member of the Club who wishes to rejoin as a member may do so without the necessity for a formal application for membership, unless the Committee decides otherwise.
Members of the Club are automatically enrolled as members of the English Bridge Union and shall abide by its Bye Laws.
Very occasionally, the Club may wish to award Honorary Membership to a member who has given exemplary service to the Club over a number of years. Any member can submit a nomination for Honorary Membership to the Committee but it will only be awarded at the discretion of the Committee. Honorary Membership entitles the holder to free annual membership subscription but table money remains payable.
Officers
The Officers of the Club shall be the Chairman, Secretary and Treasurer.
No member of the Club shall simultaneously hold the office of more than one Officer of the Club.
Each of the Officers of the Club shall be elected at the Annual General Meeting of the Club and shall retire annually at the ensuing Annual General Meeting but shall be eligible for re-election.
In the event of a vacancy arising during the year in the office of any Officer of the Club, the Committee shall choose one of their number to fill such vacancy until the ensuing Annual General Meeting.
Committee
The Committee shall consist of the Officers of the Club together with four other members of the Club, namely Competitions, Membership and Social Secretaries and the Systems Administrator, who will be elected at the Annual General meeting of the Club and shall retire annually at the ensuing Annual General Meeting, but shall be eligible for re-election.
The Committee may from time to time co-opt further members of the Club to serve on the Committee until the ensuing Annual General Meeting, whether to fill a vacancy arising, or as additional members, except that the total number of members of the Committee, (including Officers ) shall at no time exceed eight. Co-opted members shall be entitled to participate fully in the proceedings of the Committee.
A quorum at meetings of the Committee shall be 3 (three) members of the Committee, including at least one of the Officers.
The Committee may from time appoint sub-committees to undertake on its behalf such aspects of the administration of the Club as it shall think fit and members of such sub-committees may include members of the Club who are not members of the Committee.
Proceedings of the Committee and of any sub-committee shall be regulated in such manner as the Committee may from time to time decide.
The Committee shall make a report to each Annual General Meeting of the Club concerning the affairs of the Club since the previous Annual General meeting.
In the event of a voting tie at any committee meeting, the Chairman will have a second and casting vote.
Management
The Committee shall manage the affairs of the Club, and the Committee shall have power to determine any issue arising in connection with the affairs of the Club which is not specifically provided for in this Constitution.
The Committee may from time to time formulate and publish such rules as it thinks expedient for the efficient and harmonious running of the Club, but in the case of any conflict between such rules and the Constitution, the Constitution shall prevail.
Any issue of policy determined by the Committee or any rules published by the Committee may be varied by a resolution of members at a General Meeting of the Club, provided that such resolution is not in conflict with this Constitution and is not retrospective in application.
In the event of such variation being made, the policy or rules (as the case may be) shall not be further varied by the Committee in a manner inconsistent with the resolution.
General Meetings
An Annual General Meeting of the Club shall be held in each year no later than four months after the end of the financial year
A special General Meeting of the Club shall be convened by the Committee if a request for such a meeting, signed by at least ten members of the Club, is delivered to the Secretary, stating the reason for the meeting, and such meeting shall take place within one month of the receipt of such request.
A Special General Meeting of the club may be convened by the Committee on its own initiative at any time.
All General Meetings of the Club shall be held at the Headquarters of the Club unless circumstances arise which render this impracticable.
The Chairman, if present, shall chair all General Meetings of the Club, and in his absence, some other member of the Committee shall chair the meeting.
Notice of all General Meetings of the Club shall be given to all members of the Club no later than two weeks prior to the date fixed for the meeting.
Any member may propose a motion to be discussed at a General Meeting provided that written notice of the proposed motion is delivered to the Secretary no later than one week prior to the date fixed for the meeting.
The Chairman of the meeting may permit discussion of other business at a General Meeting if he thinks fit.
A quorum at a General Meeting of the Club shall be ten members present in person.
If fifteen minutes after the time fixed for a General Meeting of the Club no quorum shall be present, the meeting shall be adjourned to a new date (of which the like notice shall be given to members as was required to be given for the meeting which has been adjourned), and in the case of a General Meeting which has been adjourned due to the lack of a quorum (but not of a meeting adjourned for any other reason,) such number of members as are actually present at the adjourned meeting shall constitute a quorum.
At the discretion of the committee, voting at General Meetings of the Club shall be by ballot and allowing votes by proxy for those unable to attend. In the event of parity, the Chairman of the meeting shall have a second or casting vote.
Notices
Notice of any Special General Meeting of the Club, and of an Annual General Meeting at which, in the opinion of the Committee, any business of a non-routine nature is likely to be discussed, shall be given to members by post or by e-mail to the last address of each member notified to the Secretary.
Notice of any Annual General Meeting at which, in the opinion of the committee, no business of a non-routine nature is likely to be discussed, may be given to members either by post or by e-mail to the last address of each member notified to the Secretary, or by displaying a notice in a prominent position at the Headquarters of the Club.
Notice of any other matters to be brought to the attention of members shall be made by displaying a notice in a prominent position at the Headquarters of the Club.
Nominations
Nominations for the posts of Officers or Committee members shall be in writing and be signed by a Proposer and a Seconder, both of whom shall be members of the Club, and also by the person nominated.
Nominations must reach the Secretary no later than one week prior to the date fixed for the Annual General Meeting.
Subscriptions
Each member of the Club shall pay an annual subscription, the basic amount of which for the time being shall be decided at the Annual General Meeting of the Club. Subscriptions shall be due for payment on 1st April in each year in respect of the year to the following 31st March. Unless the Committee decides otherwise, any member whose subscription remains unpaid after the 30th April shall cause their membership to lapse and shall pay table money at the rate applicable to visitors until their subscription has been paid in full.
Each member of the Club, and each guest and visitor, shall pay table money on each occasion when he plays at the Club, the basic amounts of which for the time being shall be decided at the Annual General Meeting of the Club.
The Committee may determine variations on the basic amounts of subscriptions and table money for members, guests and visitors in different circumstances and may waive subscriptions or table money in the event of hardship or for any other good cause.
The Annual General Meeting may authorise the committee to increase the basic amounts of subscriptions and table money prior to the ensuing Annual General Meeting.
The Committee may determine from time to time the amount of fees to be charged for use of the equipment of the club, or for any other purpose for which it is of the opinion that fees ought to be charged.
Accounts
The committee shall arrange for audited accounts to be prepared in respect of the financial affairs of the club for each year ending on 31 March.
The Accounts for each year shall be presented to the Annual General Meeting of the club for approval.
Guests & Visitors
Any member may invite a guest to play at the Club at any time but, in the event of the playing facilities being inadequate to accommodate all those who wish to play, priority shall be given to members.
Visitors may be permitted to play at the Club at any time, but in the event of the playing facilities being inadequate to accommodate all those who wish to play, priority shall be given to members and the guests of members.
The Committee may from time to time place a limit of the number of occasions on which a non-member (whether a guest or a visitor) may play at the Club without being required to apply for membership.
If such a limit is for the time being in force, a non-member who has applied for membership shall (subject to available playing facilities) be permitted to play at the Club until his application for membership has been considered by the Committee, even if the limit imposed by the Committee is thereby exceeded.
Members' Behaviour
Each member of the Club shall be required, in connection with the game of Duplicate Contract Bridge, to conform to the Code of Conduct as published by the club in a separate document.
Alterations to the Constitution
No alterations shall be made to this Constitution except at a General Meeting of the Club.
In order for a Resolution to alter this Constitution to have effect, at least two thirds of the votes cast on the Resolution must be in favour.
Winding Up
In order for a Resolution that the Club shall be wound up to have effect at least two thirds of the votes cast on the Resolution must be in favour; this vote to be taken at the General Meeting at which the Resolution is put.
If a Resolution that the Club shall be wound up is effectively passed, the Committee shall be responsible for winding up the affairs of the Club, and unless the winding up has been initiated with a view to amalgamating the Club with some other club (in which case any surplus assets and funds may be transferred to such other club), any surplus assets and funds shall be transferred to such of the organisations mentioned in clause 17.3 as may be specified in the Resolution initiating the winding up, and if no such organisation is so specified, to such of those organisations as the Committee may think fit.
The organisations referred to in clause 17.2 are any Registered or Recognised Charitable Body.