As adopted at the AGM 10th January 2013 and reviewed May 2018
1) Title
The club shall be known as the BOLTON CAMERA CLUB.
The club is a member of the Lancashire and Cheshire Photographic Union and affiliated to the Photographic Alliance of Great Britain.
2) Objective
The promotion of the Science and Fine Art of Photography.
3) Club Financial Year
The club financial year shall commence on 1st January each year.
4) Management
The affairs of the club shall be managed by a Council consisting of:
Upon the retirement of the President the Vice President will assume that office, subject to confirmation at the Annual General Meeting.
The immediate past President shall be a member of the Council ex-officio for twelve months after retiring from the Presidency.
The Council may, as expedient, reallocate roles amongst its members to cover for Council members' absences.
Any five members of the Council shall form a quorum. Except for the calling of a Special General Meeting, motions shall be passed by a simple majority.
5) Council Rights
a) Power shall be vested in the Council to appoint committees for different purposes, and ordinary members of the Club may be appointed to serve of such committees. The President, Vice President, Honorary Treasurer, and Honorary General Secretary shall be ex-officio members of all such committees.
b) The authority of the Council shall be paramount in all cases not provided for by the Constitution, until overborne by a resolution passed at the AGM or a Special General Meeting called for the purpose.
c) The Council may terminate the membership of any member at any time.
d) The funds of the Club shall be under the control of the Council
6) AGM
The Annual General Meeting of the Club shall be held on a date to be fixed by the Council not later than the end of January and fourteen days’ notice of the meeting shall be given to all members.
7) Nomination of Officers and Council Members
Any member of the Club after six months ordinary membership, may be nominated for any such office of the club, or member of the Council, by two members, after obtaining his/her consent.
Such nominations must be made before the AGM either in writing to the Honorary General Secretary, or by entering their names on a form. This form is provided for such purpose at the Club Rooms, at least fourteen days prior to the AGM.
8) Election of Council Members and Officers
a) Election of the Council Members
The Council shall be elected at the AGM, and if the number of nominations is such that a vote need not be taken, such nominated members shall be deemed to be elected.
b) Election of Officers
The Officers of the Club shall be elected at the AGM, and if the number of nominations is such that a vote need not be taken, such nominated Officers shall be deemed to be elected.
c) Casual vacancies
The Council may appoint a Club member to a casual vacancy within the Council for the remainder of the year in which the vacancy occurs.
All Council Members shall hold office for one year but shall be eligible for re-election in any subsequent year, except that, if re-elected, the President may serve for a continuous period not exceeding three years.
9) Membership
Membership shall be open to the public generally upon payment of the annual subscription rate in accordance with Clause 10.
There shall be the following classes of membership:
a) Ordinary - for persons aged 18 or over
b) Junior - for persons between 13 and 18 years of age, who must be accompanied at all times by a parent or guardian
c) Affiliate - family members and partners
d) Honorary Life
10) Subscriptions
The Annual Subscription shall be due on joining the club, or at the AGM, and is in either case, payable in advance. The amount to be such as is decided at the AGM.
Provided nevertheless that in the case of members of any class joining after May1st in any year, the subscription should be an appropriate proportion of the full annual subscription of the year for which the member has joined.
11) New Members
New members must complete an application on a prescribed form, giving their name and contact details and forward it to the Membership Secretary.
A list of member’s names and addresses will be maintained by the Membership Secretary. This information shall only be used for club activities and not disclosed to other parties.
12) Honorary Members
At the discretion of the Council, persons of distinction may be nominated as Honorary Life Members of the Club and be entitled to take part in all activities of the Club without payment of further annual subscriptions.
The Membership Secretary keeps details of current Honorary Members, which are available on request.
13) Resignations
Members wishing to resign should do so in writing to the Honorary General Secretary.
14) Meetings
The meetings shall be held according to a syllabus published by the authority of the Council.
15) Special General Meetings
A special general meeting may be convened for any stated purpose by a two-thirds majority vote by the Council or by a requisition signed by not less than ten members of the club and forwarded to the Honorary General Secretary. The Honorary General Secretary shall, within eight days of the receipt of such decision or requisition, notify each member at least eight days before the date of such a meeting, stating the business for which it has been called. No other matter may be discussed at such meeting.
16) Club Property
The Council shall be custodian of all property belonging to the Club. They shall have the power to make such regulations as to its use as may be, in their judgement, expedient.
No member shall remove from the rooms any apparatus or other property belonging to the Club, without the consent of the President or Vice President first obtained for each occasion. Any damage or loss shall be made good by the borrower to the satisfaction of the Club.
No member shall use the Club Rooms or any apparatus therein for the purpose of monetary gain, or commercial work of any kind.
17) Trophies
All cups, trophies and challenge awards offered by the club for competition shall remain the property of the Club.
Such trophies shall be awarded under such rules as shall from time to time be determined by the Council.
18) Monies
No dividend, gift, division or bonus shall be made unto or between any of the members.
19) Alteration of the Constitution
Alteration of this Constitution may be made only:
a) At an Annual General Meeting by requisition of a Council Meeting held at least fourteendays prior to the AGM.
b) At a Special General Meeting convened under Clause 15 and giving full particulars of the proposed alterations.
20) Copy of the Constitution
A copy of the Constitution of the Club which is included in the club’s handbook shall be forwarded to every member by the Membership Secretary immediately when such member joins the Club. Every member shall be bound by the Constitution, and the observance thereof shall be a condition of membership.
21) Complaints Procedure
Even the best run organisations can sometimes find themselves at odds with one or more of their members. The process outlined here is intended to tackle such situations in a straightforward and confidential way.
a) Raising a Complaint
Many complaints can be of a relatively straightforward nature and therefore handled quickly and resolved amicably. If a member has a complaint about the way the club is acting in a particular matter, the member should first of all talk to a member of the Club Council. The member should make it clear that he/she wants the matter treated formally. The Council Member should either take up the complaint personally, or, if thought appropriate, refer the complainant to another relevant Council Member with the complainant’s agreement.
In taking up a complaint the Council Members involved will act in confidence and only involve other people as necessary. However, in some situations, the Council member may feel that the rest of the Council should be made aware of the situation in general terms.
b) Responding to a Complaint
The Council Member handling the complaint should take all reasonable steps to resolve the complaint quickly, and should give an answer to the complainant as soon as possible, and certainly within two weeks.
c) Written Procedure
If the complainant continues to be dissatisfied and wishes to take the matter further or wishes to use a written procedure from the outset, he/she should write to a Council Member setting out the nature of the complaint. The Council Member should take the matter up personally or refer the complaint to another appropriate Council Member with the complainant’s agreement.
The written complaint should be referred to a Club Committee meeting appointed for the purpose, either at the next normal Council meeting or at a Council meeting called for the purpose. The aim should be to hold a Committee meeting as soon as possible, and certainly within one month of the receipt of a written complaint. Matters concerning the complaint should be kept confidential so far as this is possible given the need to investigate and respond to the complaint. The complainant should be able to attend a meeting of the Committee to explain their complaint if they wish and may be accompanied by a friend from within the club. The Committee should be able to make any enquiries they feel appropriate to help them respond to the complaint.
d) Written Response
The Chairman of the Committee, should give a written answer to the complainant as soon as possible, and certainly within two weeks of the Committee meeting which determines the Committee’s response.
e) Further Action
If the complainant continues to be dissatisfied, then he/she can take the matter up at a General Meeting of the club, called in accordance with the Constitution of the club.
22) Dissolution of the Club
In the event of the winding up or dissolution of the Club the assets remaining after all liabilities have been discharged shall be transferred in full to such organisations whose objects are similar to those of the Club. Selection of the organisation(s) will be made by the Council. No member of the Club shall benefit financially from the winding up or dissolution of the Club.
All images remain the copyright of the members concerned and must no be used without consent.
