The Constitution of Llandaff Rowing Club

Adopted, 2016 AGM

The Constitution of Llandaff Rowing Club

CONTENTS

PREAMBLE

A. INTRODUCTION

1. Club name and aims

2. Interpretation

3. Policies

B. GOVERNANCE

4. Trustees
5. The General Management Committee –membership, role and procedures

6. Sub-committees

7. The Annual General Meeting

8. Special General Meetings

C. MEMBERSHIP

9. Membership categories

10. Approval of membership applications

11. Subscriptions

D. FINANCIAL ARRANGEMENTS

12.Financial administration

13. Annual Accounts
APPENDICES

RULES

a)Use of club facilities and equipment

b)Coxswains

c)Head & Regatta entries and competitions

d)Rules of the River

e)Miscelleanous

SCHEDULES

1. Members’ Code of Conduct
2. Disciplinary procedure
3. Grievance procedure
4. Equality Policy
5. Welfare & Safeguarding policy

DIAGRAMS

(i) General Management Committee and Sub-Committee responsibilities

(ii) Membership categories

PREAMBLE

Llandaff Rowing Club wasformed after the Second World War from an amalgamation of the former Taff (1879) and Cardiff (1884) Rowing Clubs.

After restoration work, rowing restarted at the end of 1946 and the first regatta was held in 1947.In the 1950’s Llandaff Rowing Club blossomed and became a force on the regatta circuit. With development, club membership grew dramatically. The club building was refurbished and extended and officially opened in 1996 and the Club’s new land training facility two years later.

Today, Llandaff Rowing Club is the largest club in Welsh Rowing. Success continues at all levels with crews and scullers competing at local, national and international events.

Llandaff Rowing Club is an unincorporated association whose members are bound together by this Constitution.

THE CONSTITUTION OF LLANDAFF ROWING CLUB
A. INTRODUCTION

1. Club name and aims

1.The Club shall be called the Llandaff Rowing Club (hereafter called ‘the Club’) and the colours shall be white and black with a Bishop’s mitre and crossed oars as a badge.

1. The object of the Club shall be the encouragement of rowing and related activities in all their forms amongst amateurs according to the Welsh Rowing definition.
   
2. The Club’s Guiding principles are to seek to:
   

• be a growing, welcoming, inviting and inclusive club;
• actively promote Rowing and healthy lifestyles by offering access to all;
• provide facilities and coaching for all members to achieve their rowing ambitions; and
• offer a vibrant social life.

and to do this:

• in a family friendly manner;
• conducting ourselves ethically, ensuring we are good employers, and with respect for the environment;
• whilst ensuring the long term viability and sustainability of the club; and
• making members proud of their association with Llandaff Rowing Club.
  

4. The assets and income of the organisation shall be applied solely to further its objects and no portion shall be distributed directly or indirectly to the members of the organisation except as genuine compensation for services rendered or expenses incurred on behalf of the Club.
5. In the event of the organisation being dissolved, the amount that remains after such dissolution and the satisfaction of all debts and liabilities shall be transferred to another organisation with similar purposes which is not carried on for the profit or gain of its individual members.
2. Interpretation
6. All references in the Constitution and Rules to the masculine gender include the feminine and vice versa. All references to the singular include as appropriate the plural.

7. The interpretation of the foregoing Constitutionand Rules and bylaws shall rest solely with the General Management Committee (‘the Committee’) and the Committee shall have power to decide on any point or question not provided for in these Rules.

8.The Committee shall have the power to make, alter, and repeal rules, policies, procedures and codes set out in the Appendices. An intimation emailed to club members and placed on the Club noticeboard shall be deemed sufficient notice of any such action.

1. Policies
   

Equality Policy
9.The Club actively promotes equal opportunities for all, regardless of their age, disability, gender reassignment, race, religion or belief, sex, sexual orientation, marriage and civil partnership or any other discriminatory restriction. The full text of the Club’s policy is set out in Schedule IV.

Water Safety Policy

10.The Club adopts the provisions of the policy document entitled ‘Row Safe: A Guide to Good Practice in Rowing’ (hereafter called ‘Row Safe’) of British Rowing in its entirety. It is a mandatory requirement of membership of the Club that all members adhere to its provisions. Copies of Row Safe are displayed in the boathouses and are also available from British Rowing. It is the responsibility of each and every Member to acquaint themselves with Row Safe and be familiar with its provisions.

11.The Club has, in addition to Row Safe, its own policy on safety on the river together with its own circulation pattern for the stretch of river on which the Club rows. Theseare set out in the ‘Rules of the River’ in the Appendices. All members must make themselves familiar with this policy. It is a mandatory requirement of membership of the Club that this policy is complied with, in addition to Row Safe.

12.Any breach of Row Safe and/or the Club Rules of the River will be viewed seriously and such breach of the Rules and the Members’ Code of Conduct may result in the instigation of the Club’s Discipline and Grievance Procedure. (See Schedule II).

Welfare & Safeguarding Policy

13.The Club adopts the provisions of the Welsh Rowing ‘Safeguarding Policy’ in its entirety. The policy is set out in Schedule V of the Appendices. It is a mandatory requirement of membership of the Club that all members adhere to its provisions.
Members’ Code of Conduct ,Discipline and Grievance Procedures
14.The Members’ Code of Conduct and the Club’s Discipline and Grievance procedures, are at Schedules I, II and III of the Appendices. The Schedules set out their full terms and effect.

B. GOVERNANCE

4. Trustees

15. All property of the Club shall be vested in the Trustees representing and acting for all the members of the Club.

16. There shall not be more than four nor less than two Trustees of the Club. The Trustees of the Club shall be appointed by the Committee and shall continue as such until their successors are appointed or until death, resignation or withdrawal, or until the Club, at any AGM, resolves to remove them which it shall have the power to do.

17. The Trustees shall be indemnified against risk and expense out of the Club property.

18. The Trustees may, when authorised to do so in writing by the Committee hold, purchase, sell, exchange, mortgage, charge, lease any land or buildings or build upon the land or alter and pull down buildings and again rebuild.

19.The Trustees may, when authorised to do so in writing by the Committee, obtain advances of money for the purposes of the Club, either unsecured or upon the security of bonds, agreements or promissory notes or certificates of indebtedness of mortgages or charges of real or personal property of the Club or bills of sale on all or any of the goods and chattels of the Club upon such terms as to interest and as to time and manner of repayment as the Committee may determine.

1. The GMC –membership, role and procedures

20.The management of the Club shall be entrusted to the General Management Committee.

Membership

21. The Committee shall consist of the following:

• The President (Honorary)
• Chairman (Honorary)
• Captain (Honorary)
• Secretary(Honorary)
• Treasurer(Honorary)
• Membership Secretary (Honorary)
• Communications Officer (Honorary)

and

• three other Committee members elected annually;
• Vice Presidents elected annually;
• appointed Club Trustees;
• theJunior Representative,nominated by the Junior members of the Club and deemed duly elected by the AGM.

22.Vice Captains shall be elected annually but not form part of the general management of the Club.

23.In the event of a vacancy occurring on the Committee prior to an AGM, the Committee shall, at its discretion, appoint a replacement.

Vice presidents

24.The Committee only shall have the power to accept and/or recommend the names of persons for election as Vice Presidents by the AGM, and those elected shall continue as such until death, resignation, requested transfer of membership category, or until the Club, at any AGM, resolves to remove them, which it shall have the power to do. No more than 21 persons shall hold the post of Vice-President at any one time.

Voting and quorum.

25.Each member of the Committee (see Para 21) shall have one vote at Committee meetings. The Chairman shall have an additional or casting vote at such meetings.Seven Committee members shall form a quorum.

Role

26.The role of the Committee shall be to oversee Club policy and direction, control its appointed sub-Committees, nurture its athletes, promote diversity and deploy its disciplinary policy, where necessary. The Committee shall have the power to review and revise its core functions, and those of its sub-Committees, as it sees fit.

27.The Committee shall at the first possible opportunity subsequent to the Annual General Meeting appoint a suitably qualified or experienced safety adviser. The role of the safety adviser will be to advise the Committee on all health, safety and environmental matters relating to the Club in accordance with Row Safe and the Club’s safety policy and circulation pattern.

28.The Committee shall have the power to propose Life members of the Club, who shall enjoy the same privileges as Full members, subject to election at the AGM.

29.The Committee, at its discretion, may from time to time appoint Patrons to the Club. Such Patrons are to be significant persons in the local or wider community, whether involved in the sport of rowing or not. Any person approached to act as a Patron to the Club must first be asked whether they consent to their name being used in connection with the Club, its general aims and objectives and the marketing and fundraising activities of the Club. Any person appointed Patron to the Club shall become a Patron Member of the Club for the duration of their patronage. No Patron shall be entitled to vote at any Club meeting or the Committee and nor may they exercise any right of proxy voting.

Procedures

30.The Committee shall meet monthly to consider the business appearing on the agenda for the meeting. All meetings of the Committee are to be held in the Clubhouse, unless this is impossible or impracticable for any reason, whereupon the Secretary shall ensure that a suitable alternative venue is located. The details of the alternative shall be emailed to ensure that the alternative arrangements come to the attention of the members of the Club in a reasonable time prior to the start of the meeting.

Indemnity

31.Committee members and Club members acting on the business of the Club and with appropriate Club authority, shall be indemnified by the Club and will not be personally liable for any financial loss or liability.

Honoraria

32.An honorarium is equivalent to one year’s full rowing membership at the prevailing rate from time to time. Other members of the Club not holding a position under Paragraph 21 may be awarded an honorarium atCommittee members’ discretion, for example, the Regatta Secretary, Events Secretary and Club Boatman.

Observers

33.Any Member of the Club is at liberty to attend Committee meetings to observe the proceedings, but may not take any part in the meeting unless invited by the Chairman so to do. The Chairman may require any observer to withdraw from any meeting if he or she feels it is desirable in relation to the business being discussed at the time. Any such observer shall not be entitled to vote on any matter.

1. Sub-committees

34.The Committee may, from time to time, appoint from amongst their number and/or other Club members such sub-Committees as they deem necessary and may depute or refer to them such of the power and duties of the Committee as it may determine. A Junior member or a Junior member’s parent/guardian will be entitled to sit on each sub-Committee. Any such sub-Committee shall meet as required throughout the year and report their proceedings and records of expenditure to the Committee and/or HonoraryTreasurer or other Officer nominated by the Committee, as and when requested so to do.

35.The core sub-Committees are Finance, Communications, House, Rowing, Fundraising and Regatta. Their broad functions are set out in Diagram (i).

1. The Annual General Meeting (AGM)
   

36.The AGM of the Club shall be heldby the last week ofSeptember each year unless otherwise ordered by the Committee, at such time and place decided by them, to receive Reports and Statements of Accounts, and to discuss Club affairs.

37. The Honorary posts, three Committee members, Vice Presidents and Vice Captains shall be elected by AGM ballot each year. The Junior Representative nominated by the Junior members of the Club shall be deemed duly elected by the AGM.
Notice of meeting

38.Notice of the AGM shall be placed on the club websiteand forwarded to every Member at least seven days prior to the date of the meeting by ordinary first class pre-paid post to the last recorded address held for each Member by the Membership Secretary. All other reports for the AGM, including the Statements of Accounts, shall be made available on the Club website at least 10 days prior to the date of the meeting for Members to print if they wish to do so, provided always that should any Member require the Statements of Accounts and any other supporting documentation to be sent to them in printed form, they may so request from the Secretary. Upon receipt of such a request, the Honorary Secretary shall send such documents as are requested to the Member concerned by ordinary first class pre-paid post.

Entitlement to vote

39. Only full members shall be entitled to vote at any AGM (one vote per Family Membership to be used by the Full or ½ Full Member).

Eligibility for election

40.Full members onlyshall be eligible for election as President, Chairman, Captain or Vice Presidents.

41.For the posts of President, Captain and Chairman, the candidate must have completed three years consecutive full membership at the time of their nomination. Exceptions may only be made at the discretion of the Committee.

42.Only members who have completed 12 months full membership may hold a voting Committee post.

Nominations

43.Nominations for Honorary posts, Committee members and Vice Captains shall be placed on the Club notice board at least 7 days prior to the AGM, together with the names of the proposer and the seconder, the consent of the nominee having first been obtained.

44.At least 14 days prior to the AGM, the Junior Members of the Club shall nominate an individual to act as their representative. Such a nominated individual must be either a Club Memberor a Junior Memberwho has attained the age of 16 years prior to the AGM at which their nomination is made. The details of the nominated representative shall be delivered to the Secretary immediately after nomination for inclusion on the nominations list displayed in the Club. Such a nominated representative shall not be capable of being opposed by any other person. The proposed nominee will be announced to the AGM and deemed elected to the Committee.

Election procedure

45.If there are two candidates for any one office a ballot shall be taken and the candidate obtaining the highest number of votes shall be declared elected. If there are three or more candidates, a series of ballots shall be taken. On the first ballot the candidate receiving the fewest votes shall be excluded. A second ballot and subsequent ballots shall then be taken to determine which of the remaining candidates shall be elected. After each ballot the candidate with the fewest votes shall be excluded. This process shall continue until only two candidates remain. The candidate with the most votes in the last ballot shall be declared elected.

46.In the event of single nomination for office, a ballot of those members eligible to vote will be taken. A positive majority (51% of those voting) is needed otherwise the post will remain unfilled.

47.No ballot paper containing more than the names of the candidates who have been proposed and seconded shall be valid.

Proxy voting

48.In the event any Member is unable to attend an AGM or Special Meeting of the Club, he or she may appoint a proxy to vote on his/her behalf at any AGM or Special Meeting. Any Member wishing to appoint a proxy must lodge with the Honorary Secretary, no later than 21 days before the date of the meeting concerned, a written proxy authorisation, signed by him/her and stating the name of the individual who the Member authorises to act as his/her proxy. The authorisation should state clearly whether the proxy is entitled to vote at the meeting generally in any manner the proxy chooses, or whether the Member instructing the proxy has directed the proxy to vote in any particular manner on any particular issue. A proxy appointed for these purposes must be a Full Member of the Club.