ZEN PHOTO GROUP CONSTITUTION

1 Name

The Club shall be called the ZEN PHOTO GROUP.

2 Objects

The Objects of the Club shall be to promote, encourage and facilitate interest and participation in photography.

3 Membership

1. The Club strives to adhere, wherever reasonable and / or practicable to do so, to principles of equality of opportunity and to be sensitive to issues arising from a person’s cultural and / or religious heritage.

2. Any person interested in becoming a Member may attend one meeting of the Club as its guest without any obligation to apply for membership or to pay the subscription for such attendance.

3. Candidates for membership shall be provided with a copy of this Constitution and shall complete the Club’s standard form of application for registration as a Member.

4. Applications for membership shall be considered by the Committee who shall act reasonably in exercising their discretion as to the election or rejection of a candidate by a simple majority.

5. On election and after payment of the requisite subscription and issue of a receipt, a candidate shall be a Member of the Club and shall be deemed to have agreed to be bound by this Constitution.

6. Any Member aged 18 and under will be deemed to be a Junior Member.

7. Junior Members under the age of 16 must be accompanied by a Parent, Guardian, or such other person who has the appropriate clearance for their care.

8. Honorary Members may be proposed by the Committee and appointed from time to time at the discretion of the Membership.

4. Executive, Officers and Committee

1. The Executive shall consist of the following elected Officers: Chairperson, Secretary and Treasurer.

2. The affairs of the Club shall be conducted by a Committee consisting of the said Executive Officers and four elected Members.

3. All Offices shall be held in an Honorary capacity.

4. The Committee shall meet at least once each year and a quorum shall be three members one of whom shall be an Officer.

5. The Committee may appoint such Sub-Committees as they may consider expedient. No Sub-Committee may incur any expense on behalf of the Club without specific authority from the Committee.

6. The Officers and Committee Members shall be eligible for re-election each year.

5. General Meetings

1. An Annual General Meeting shall be held each year for the presentation of the report of the year’s activities, including audited accounts, and for the election of the Officers, Committee Members and of the Auditor(s) for the ensuing year. At least 14 days’ notice in writing or by email of such meeting shall be given to each member.

2. An Extraordinary General Meeting shall be called upon a request submitted to the Secretary signed by not less than 20% of the members setting forth the purpose for which the meeting is desired. No matters, other than those set out in the Agenda prepared by the Executive on the one hand and those set out in the said request on the other hand, shall be discussed at the meeting. Each member shall be given at least 14 days’ notice in writing or by email of such meeting which shall be held within 30 days of the receipt of the said request by the Secretary.

3. Decisions of any General Meeting shall be those of the majority of the eligible Members present and voting.

4. Junior and Honorary Members may attend Annual General Meetings and Extraordinary General Meetings and may join in the discussion but they shall not be entitled to vote and shall not be considered as part of the requisite quorum.

5. In the event of an equality of votes at a General Meeting or a Committee Meeting the person in the chair for such meeting shall have a casting or additional vote.

6. For all business at a General Meeting or Extraordinary General Meeting the quorum shall be not less than 20% of the eligible Members.

6. Financial Matters

1. The Club’s financial year shall end on 30th November in each year to which day the accounts shall be balanced and presented to the next Annual General Meeting.

2. At every Annual General Meeting one or two Member(s) of the Club (not being Officers or Members of the Committee) shall be elected to serve as Auditor(s) for the ensuing year and they shall audit the accounts not less than 14 days before the next Annual General Meeting.

3. A vacancy in the office of Auditor during the year shall be filled by a Member appointed by the Executive.

4. The Club shall maintain such Bank or Building Society accounts as the Committee consider convenient and all cheques and orders for the payment of money from any such account shall be signed by such Officer(s) as are duly authorised by the Committee.

7 Subscriptions

1. The annual membership subscriptions shall be such amounts as the Club may from time to time in General Meeting determine.

2. Such subscriptions shall be due and run from the 1st January without demand except that a Member joining or rejoining part way through the year shall pay a proportional amount to cover the remainder of that year. Such amount shall be determined by the Treasurer.

3. Any Member whose subscription is overdue by more than one month without a reason acceptable to the Committee shall be deemed to have resigned from the Club.

4. The Committee may at their discretion waive all or part of any subscription or in case of financial hardship accept payment of a subscription by instalments.

8 Expulsion of Members

1. The Committee shall have the power to expel any Member whose conduct shall in their opinion render their continued membership untenable. Such Member shall be given not less than 14 days’ notice in writing or by email to attend a meeting of the Committee such notice to specify the complaint made.

2. So far as is reasonably practicable the meeting of the Committee shall be held on a date and at a time convenient to both the Member and the Committee.

3. No Member shall be expelled without first having an opportunity of appearing before the Committee and answering the complaint and without a Resolution in favour of expulsion by at least two-thirds of the Committee Members present and voting at such meeting.

4. A Member who is expelled shall not be entitled to any refund of subscription.

9 Dissolution

If at any General Meeting or Extraordinary General Meeting a resolution to wind up the Club is passed by the Members present and voting, the Officers shall as soon as reasonably practical act as follows:

1. All debts and liabilities of the Club shall be fully discharged;

2. Any remaining assets and property shall be transferred to a non-profit making similar organisation or, if such an organisation cannot be identified, then to such other non-profit making organisation as shall be determined at the meeting.

3. Upon completion of the disposal of the assets the Club shall be dissolved.

10 Constitution Changes

This Constitution shall not be changed except by a two-thirds majority of the eligible Members present and voting at a General Meeting.

11 Interpretation and Definitions

1. The Committee shall be the sole authority for the interpretation of this Constitution and their decision shall be final and binding.

2. ‘Eligible Members’ means Members who are liable to pay the full membership subscription (whether or not waived in whole or in part) and does not include Junior and Honorary Members. ‘Total Eligible Membership’ shall be construed accordingly.

3. Unless the context otherwise requires the singular includes the plural and vice versa and the masculine includes the feminine and vice versa.

---oooOooo---

Revision 05 - Dated 15th February 2015