Bristol Croquet Club Constitution

The Club

1. The Club's name is Bristol Croquet Club ('the Club' below).
2. The Club shall be an Affiliate of Croquet England (CqE) and member of the South West Federation of Croquet Clubs (SWF) or their successors.
3. The Club is constituted as a Community Amateur Sports Club (CASC).
   1. As such, all surplus income or profits are to be reinvested in the Club. No surpluses or assets will be distributed to members or third parties.

Objects

1. The main purposes of the Club are to provide facilities for and to promote participation in the amateur sport of croquet in the Bristol area and to develop the croquet skills of its Members

Membership

1. Membership of the Club is open to anyone aged 10 and over, interested in playing the sport of croquet regardless of sex, age, disability, ethnicity, nationality, sexual orientation, religion, or other beliefs, (except as a necessary consequence of the requirements of croquet) who complete an application form and pay the fee.
   1. Applications for Membership shall be managed in order of receipt and subject to the limits of the Club's facilities.
2. The Membership year begins on 1^st March.
3. Any Member not paying the requisite fee by the start of the Membership year will be deemed to have relinquished their Membership.
4. Life and croquet-playing Members aged 18 and over are entitled to vote at General Meetings.
5. Any Member may stand for election to the Committee.
6. Classes of Membership will be determined by the Committee from time to time and fees set accordingly.
   1. The classes and fees, and any changes thereto, will be notified to Members.

The Committee

1. The Club is managed by a Committee comprising Chair, Secretary, Treasurer plus up to nine other Members, who take roles defined by the Committee. All are directly elected by the AGM and remain in post for a Term that ends at the end of the following AGM.
2. All Members of the Committee are elected for one Term except that:
   1. No one may serve as Chair for more than three consecutive Terms.
   2. They may stand for election to that role again after a further two Terms have elapsed.
   3. In exceptional circumstances, the Committee may declare an exemption from this condition and the reason for such a decision will be minuted.
3. The Committee may fill any vacant position by co-option.

Duties of the Committee

1. To manage the Club for the benefit of all Members.
2. To communicate effectively with Members.
3. To ensure the Club complies with:
   1. the Club Constitution,
   2. the rules of the bodies of which it is a member, and to consider guidance issued by them,
   3. the terms of its commercial contracts,
   4. the law, and notes the guidance from statutory bodies.
4. To manage the Club's finances, records of which will be available for inspection by any Member.
   1. To keep a bank account.
   2. To present examined accounts to the AGM.
   3. To ensure sufficient funds to cover projected activities and contingencies.
   4. To set Membership classes and subscriptions.
5. To take Minutes of all Committee and General Meetings.
   1. Make provisional minutes available to Members within three weeks of the Meeting.
6. To appoint sub-committees and individuals as necessary for Club business.
   1. Such sub-committees and individuals to report as required by the Committee.
7. Carry out resolutions passed by a General Meeting or call an SGM to discuss.
8. To hold Committee meetings not less than four times a year.
   1. The quorum is a majority of Committee members.
   2. Decisions are made by simple majority: in the case of equal votes, the Chair has a casting vote.

Trustees

1. Where necessary the committee may appoint Trustees to enter into contracts on behalf of the Club for which Club Minutes are conclusive evidence.
2. Trustees may act only as directed by the Committee and when doing so are indemnified out of Club property against risk and expense.

General Meetings

1. 7.1. General Meetings
   1. (GMs) comprise Annual General Meetings (AGMs) and Special General Meetings (SGMs) at which the following apply:
   2. The chair is taken by the Chair or by a deputy chosen by the Committee.
   3. The quorum is one quarter of the Members - which number must include at least half of the Committee.
   4. If the quorum is not achieved, the meeting will be abandoned and reconvened within 4 weeks.
   5. If at that Meeting the quorum is not met, and it is an AGM, a Resolution for Dissolution is assumed.
   6. Proposals and Nominations must be proposed and seconded by Members.
   7. Each Voting Member is entitled to one vote on each issue.
   8. Voting is by a show of hands or any suitable equivalent determined by the Chair.
   9. Voting Members not attending may contact the Secretary before the meeting starts to appoint a Voting Member as a Proxy for them
      1. Such Proxies count towards the quorum
      2. The Proxy may be directed to vote in a specific way on any item or may be given discretion
   10. No Member may carry more than two proxy votes.
   11. Proposals are carried by simple majority (except as provided below).
   12. In the event of equal votes, the proposal is not carried.
   13. Abstentions do not count as votes.
2. The Club's AGM is held in March each year or as soon as is practicable thereafter.
   1. Members should advise the Secretary in writing, by the end of January, of any proposals or business to be moved at the AGM.
   2. Valid nominations for election to the Committee can be made in writing to the Secretary up to seven days before the AGM
   3. Members with a registered email address will be informed of the candidates 5 days before the AGM
   4. At least three weeks before the AGM, the Secretary will send to all members:
      1. A calling notice and agenda,
      2. documentation.
   5. The business of the AGM includes:
      1. confirming the Minutes of the previous AGM and any other GMs
      2. addressing any matters arising
      3. receiving the Accounts
      4. receiving an Annual Report from those with key responsibilities
      5. appointing an Examiner of accounts,
      6. considering and voting upon any properly notified proposal
      7. electing a Committee (see 4.1), that will take office from the close of the meeting
      8. considering, but not necessarily voting on, any matters that Members raise at the AGM
      9. On the nomination of the Committee, an AGM may elect Honorary Members of the Club for exceptional services to the Club or to the game of Croquet
3. A Special General Meeting (SGM) may be called at any time by the Committee or within two weeks of receiving a written request from the lower of 20 or one-fifth of the Members
   1. At least three weeks' notice of the SGM shall be given.
   2. Its business must be specified in the notice and restricted to that.

Complaints and Disciplinary Procedure

1. Every Member of Bristol Croquet Club is deemed to have been informed of and undertaken to comply with the published rules and guidance.
2. Failure to comply with the rules and guidance, or any conduct that is considered injurious to the interests of the Club, renders a Member liable to disciplinary action under our Complaints and Disciplinary Procedure, which may, in extremis, include exclusion or expulsion.
3. An appeal against an outcome of disciplinary action may be made to an SGM at which the Member may speak

Changes to the Constitution

1. The Constitution may be changed only at an SGM, and by a majority of at least two-thirds of the votes cast.

Dissolution

1. If a Resolution to dissolve the Club is passed or deemed to be passed, the Secretary shall call an SGM to be held not less than one month afterwards to discuss and vote a second time on the Resolution.
2. To be passed, the Resolution requires not less than two-thirds of the votes cast at that SGM; if passed, the Committee shall then realise the assets of the Club and discharge its debts and liabilities.
3. Upon dissolution of the Club, any remaining assets shall be given or transferred to another registered CASC, a registered charity, or croquet's governing body for use by them in related community sports