WEST OF ENGLAND BANDSMEN'S FESTIVAL
CONSTITUTION AND RULES.
I.TITLE
The Festival shall be known as the West of England Bandsmen's Festival.
2. OBJECTIVES
The object of the Festival shall be to promote for the public benefit:
a) Standards of excellence in the playing of brass instruments in bands.
b) The performance of brass band music.
In furtherance of the above object but not further or otherwise the Festival through its Committee shall have the following powers:
a) To organise or to assist in the organisation of an annual Brass Band Festival.
b) To raise funds and to invite and receive contributions from any person or persons whatsoever by way of subscription, donation and otherwise provided that the Festival shall not undertake any permanent trading activities in raising funds for its charitable objects.
(c) To do all such other lawful things as shall further the above objects.
3. MANAGEMENT.
A Committee consisting of the Chairperson, Promoter, Secretary and Treasurer and members shall transact the Festival organisation.
4. OFFICERS & COMMITTEES.
The Officers shall be elected at the Annual General Meeting and shall consist of Chairperson, Vice Chairperson, Promoter, Secretary and Treasurer. Other Committee members will be elected annually at the Annual General Meeting.
a) All retiring Officers shall be eligible for re-election.
b) The Chairperson shall take the chair of the Committee and the Annual General Meeting whenever he is present and in his absence the Vice Chairperson shall perform the duties.
c) The Committee shall have the power to appoint Sub-Committees and Music Committees any recommendations from the Sub-Committee shall be discussed by the full Committee.
All actions and decisions of any Sub-Committee appointed shall be reported as soon as possible to the Committee. No Sub-Committee shall incur any expenditure on behalf of the Committee without the prior consent of the Committee.
d) The Committee shall meet not less than twice annually to deal with all matters
relating to the Festival.
5. PRESIDENT & PATRONS
The President and Patrons shall be elected at the Annual General Meeting.
6. DATE OF FESTIVAL.
The Festival shall be held annually as near as practicable to the third Saturday in June.
7. COMPETITION RULES.
The Festival shall be run in accordance with the Rules and Conditions as detailed in the attached: -
Appendix A (Championship, First, Second, Third and Fourth Section Bands)
Appendix B (Youth and Training Section Bands)
8. DEPORTMENT CLASS.
A Deportment class shall be held with the adjudication taking place during the march to the contest ground.
9. TEST PIECES.
The Music Committee shall be responsible for the selection of the test pieces.
10. PRIZE LIST.
The prize list shall be decided at the Annual General Meeting.
11.TROPHIES.
All trophies remain the property of the Festival and winning bands will be required to give a written undertaking to return the trophies in sound condition to the festival committee five weeks before the date of the next festival, and to make good any damage or loss sustained whist in their possession. All trophies shall be insured on an annual basis with its present insurer Aviva or such insurance company, as the Officers deem appropriate.
12. STORE & CONTENTS.
The concrete block building with corrugated asbestos and Perspex roof, together with the contents, (tables, chairs, band stand and various other equipment) situated at Molinnis Park, Bugle shall be insured on an annual basis with Aviva or such insurance company as the Officers deem appropriate.
13. PUBLIC LIABILITY.
Indemnity cover in respect of the period from erection to dismantling of stands, seats and tentage shall be arranged with Aviva or such insurance company as the Officers deem appropriate.
14. FINANCIAL.
a) All monies received shall be banked at Barclays Bank Ltd, St Austell or any bank or bank account that the Committee shall decide from time to time in an account or accounts held in the name of the Festival and all cheques must be signed by the Treasurer and another officer. All accounts held shall be held in the name of the Festival.
b) The financial year of the Festival shall be from 1 September to 31 August annually.
c) The Treasurer shall keep proper accounts of the finances of the Festival and an Income and Expenditure Account shall be presented at the Annual General Meeting. An Independent Examiner shall be appointed annually at the Annual General Meeting.
Any Officer misapplying funds shall repay it and be expelled without prejudice to his liability to prosecution for such misapplication.
All equipment purchased on behalf of the Festival for the use of Officers or Members shall remain the property of the festival, and all such assets shall be itemised on the Income and Expenditure Account presented at the Annual General Meeting.
15. ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING.
a) The Annual General Meeting shall be held not later than the 31 October.
b) The Secretary shall give not less than two weeks notice of the date and time of the meeting.
c) There must be at least 15 members present at the meeting to form a quorum.
16. GENERAL RULES.
a) Nominations for election to the committee must be in the hands of the Secretary not later than seven days prior to the date of the Annual General Meeting.
b) Any member wishing to place a motion on the agenda for the Annual General Meeting shall give the Secretary at least seven days prior notice of same.
c) A minimum of fifteen members signatures is required to call a Special General Meeting and fourteen days notice of any such meeting shall be given.
d) At committee meetings all Officers and Committee members are allowed one vote. The Chairperson may use a second vote as a casting vote if so desired.
e) The quorum required for Committee meetings shall be ten Committee members.
e) The Committee has the power to rescind or alter a minute of any Committee meeting when a simple majority is obtained at the meeting. One month’s notice shall be given to Committee members in respect of the proposed rescindment.
17. ALTERATION TO THE CONSTITUTION.
Any alteration, amendment or addition to this Constitution may from time to time be made at the Annual General Meeting of the Festival or at a Special General Meeting held in accordance with Clause 16 above, by a vote of three quarters of the members present and voting provided that no alteration shall be made to Clause 2 (Objects), Clause, 19 (Dissolution) or this Clause until the approval, in writing of the Charity Commissioners or other authority having charitable jurisdiction shall have been obtained and no alteration shall be made which would cause the charity to cease to be charitable at law. Notice of any motion for such alteration, amendment or addition must be given in writing to the secretary one month before the meeting.
18. MEMBERSHIP,
a) Membership of the Festival shall be open to persons or bodies in furthering the object of the Festival or participating in its organisation but no person or body shall be a member unless his or her or its membership has been accepted by the Committee who shall have an absolute discretion not to accept any person or body as a member without giving any reason.
b) The Committee shall have the right, for good and sufficient reason, to terminate the membership of any individual or organisation and may be resolution communicated to any member in writing and stating concisely the grounds for which it proposes to act call upon the member to resign from the Festival. The member in question shall have the right to attend and be heard by the Committee before a final decision is made. If the member does not attend and will not resign within forty-eight hours after being so called upon, the Committee may by resolution terminate the membership.
19. DISSOLUTION.
If it is decided to discontinue the work of the Festival, any money or property belonging to the festival after payment of expenses and liabilities properly incurred, shall not be distributed to its members but shall be devoted to some other charity or charities having objects similar to those of the Festival or to such other charity as the Charity Commissioners or other body having such charitable jurisdiction may direct.
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Mr P G Richards
Chairman
Date Constitution Adopted: - 4 October 2017
APPENDIX A
Contest Rules and Conditions
1. In these rules the words ‘Contest Management’ shall refer to the West of England Bandsmen’s Festival Committee.
2. In these rules reference to ‘Bandsmen’ shall include ‘Bandswomen’.
3. National Gradings will be used subject to the following: -
Championship Section shall be open to all bands.
First Section shall be open to all bands up to and including First Section status.
Second Section shall be open to all bands up to and including Second Section status.
Third Section shall be open to all bands up to and including Third Section status.
Fourth Section shall be open to Fourth Section bands only.
4. The contest is open to brass bands only and shall consist of 25 brass players plus percussionists as required by the music score. Only brass band instruments shall be permitted.
5. The Contest Management reserve the right to vary or add to these Rules and Conditions of the contest from time to time, to cancel the contest, to hold it on another day, to limit the number of entries, to close sections at an earlier date than stipulated on the ‘Entry Form’, or to accept or decline an entry.
6. All complaints, protests, objections or matters arising under these rules or otherwise, shall be submitted to and determined by the Contest Management, whose decision shall be final and shall not be subject to any further appeal or any legal proceedings whatsoever.
7. The Contest Management and Officials cannot be held responsible for damage to, or loss of instruments, music stands, equipment or property of any kind.
8. The interpretation of these Rules and Conditions shall be the prerogative of the Contest Management whose decision shall be final.
9. In order to enter the contest, the band secretary must complete an official ‘Entry Form’ and return it to the ‘Contest Promoter’ together with the entry fee on or before the stated closing date. The entry fee is not refundable under any circumstances. All entries shall be subject to approval by the Contest Management.
a) All players taking part in the Contest must be registered with Brass Band Players Limited registry at least seven (7) days before the Friday of the contest weekend. It is the responsibility of the band secretary to apply to the relevant registry for the necessary registration documentation and to comply with the registry rules and procedures.
10. A bandsman who at anytime, gives his signature to documents for more than one band and/or a secretary or any other official or member of a band who submits a false registration or countenance a false signature, shall be dealt with under these rules by the Contest Management.
11. The ‘Order of Play’ for fourth section bands will be pre-drawn by the Contest Management during the week following the closing date for entries. All other sections will be drawn at the times stated in the General Instructions.
12. Day transfers will be allowed on completion of an ‘Application for Temporary Day Transfer of Player’s, signed correctly by all appropriate parties and must comply with the following: -
a) A band may use a maximum of 5 borrowed players.
b) A player, on temporary day transfer for a contest, may only play for the band, which has applied for the temporary transfer and has completed the appropriate form to the satisfaction of the contest promoter (subject to the restrictions on sections itemised below) and therefore will not be able to play for the band with which he/she is normally registered.
c) Championship, First, Second and Third Sections
Borrowed players in the above sections, shall be registered players from bands registered either the same grade or grades lower than the borrowing band.
d) Fourth Section
Borrowed players in the above section shall be registered players from bands in the same grade or from the Third Section.
e) The Bugle Contest is run as an ‘Open Contest’, which allows bands to enter sections above their National Grading, therefore borrowed players relate to the grading of the borrowing band and not the section entered.
f) It is the responsibility of the secretary of the borrowing band to ensure that the registration card of any player on a day transfer, is fully franked and produced at registration, or when requested by the contest organisers.
13. a) If a bandsman is unable to compete due to personal illness/injury or family
bereavement, and is able to provide documentary proof or evidence to the
satisfaction of the Contest Promoter, the Contest Promoter will arrange to
provide a deputy. This will be the same instrumentalist from another band
competing in the section, complete with instrument and band parts.
13. b) The band drawn to play immediately before the band making application shall