Constitution

This page contains the text of the Constitution and Rules adopted on 30 May 2002.

The Constitution is immediately below; the Rules are further down the page.

1. Name and Objective

1. The Society shall be called the Huntingdon and District Wargames Society. The Society will hereafter be referred to as HDWS.

2. The objective of HDWS is to provide an organization for wargaming and associated interests.

2. Conditions of Membership

1. Membership of HDWS shall be open to any person of at least 14 years of age, subject to approval by the Committee and payment of a yearly subscription as proposed by the Committee and approved by a vote of the general membership at an Annual General Meeting (AGM).

2. Subscriptions will be due on the first day of September and must be paid by the last day of October. Failure to do so will result in membership being withdrawn. New members joining during the year will be charged a pro-rata amount.

3. Membership Types are defined as follows:

4. The Committee shall have the power to propose HDWS Honorary Members, to be seconded and voted upon by the general membership at an AGM. Honorary Membership shall be for life, with the benefits of free membership and the right to vote at General Meetings. A roll of Honorary Members shall be maintained by the Secretary.

5. Members must at all time abide by this Constitution, the HDWS Rules document, and the rules and conditions of the meeting venue.

6. All members have the right to bring guests to any HDWS meeting. The same guest may attend up to four times (more with the approval of the Committee), before being asked to join as a member. Members are responsible for ensuring that their guests abide by the rules of HDWS and the meeting venue.

7. The elected Committee of HDWS shall reserve the right to refuse or withdraw membership at any time.

3. Management

1. Management of HDWS shall be the responsibility of an elected Committee. All questions or disputes arising in connection with HDWS shall be referred to the Committee for decision.

2. The Committee shall consist of the following officers:
(a) President
(b) Chairman
(c) Vice Chairman
(d) Secretary
(d) Treasurer
(e) Three Ordinary Committee Members

3. Each Committee Member except the President shall serve for a term of two years with all offices coming due for re-election in the same year. Terms shall commence after the AGM at which the committee is elected, and run until the end of the second AGM thereafter (unless a special mid-term election occurs, in which case the newly elected office-holder's term will be considered to have begun at the same time as the original office-holder's).

4. The office of President shall be conferred on a member as a mark of respect and in recognition of long service to HDWS. The President shall be appointed for life or until such time as he resigns the office. Appointment to the office of President carries all the benefits of an Honorary Membership. When the office of President is vacant, the Committee shall have the power to propose any member to hold the office of President of HDWS, to be seconded and voted upon by the general membership at an AGM. If the Committee thinks it appropriate the office may be left vacant.

5. All Committee Members shall assist in the smooth running of HDWS meetings. Particular responsibilities of individual officers are as follows:

(a) The Chairman shall be responsible for the general affairs of HDWS and will chair meetings of the Committee and General Meetings of HDWS. He shall present a report of the Society's activities during the year at the AGM.

(b) The Vice Chairman shall assist the Chairman and shall maintain an inventory of HDWS property.

(c) The Secretary shall be responsible for the general administration of HDWS. This includes calling General and Committee meetings; providing the agenda for such meetings; taking minutes at such meetings; and maintaining official communication with the members.

(d) The Treasurer shall be responsible for maintaining a suitable bank or building society account in the name of HDWS and administering payments to and from the Society. The Treasurer shall present a report on the state of the Society's finances at the AGM. The office of Treasurer must be held by a member who is 18 years of age or older.

(e) The Committee will nominate one of its members to maintain a membership list.

6. A Committee Member may be removed from office by a resolution passed at a General Meeting. Such a resolution must be passed by a three-quarters majority of the votes cast.

4. General Meetings

1. The Annual General Meeting of HDWS will be held in January of each year. Members of HDWS will be informed of the date by the Secretary at least 14 days prior to such a meeting.

2. The quorum for a General Meeting shall be 50% of the society's membership, including five committee members.

3. At the Annual General Meeting, the officers of the Committee will be elected for the forthcoming term, if appropriate.

4. An Extraordinary General Meeting may be called by the Committee at the request of any member. Members of HDWS will be informed of the date by the Secretary at least 14 days prior to such a meeting, unless the matter is of such urgency that this is not possible. In such a case the Secretary shall give as much notice as possible.

5. All matters at the General Meeting shall be decided by a simple majority of votes cast, except for:

(a) alterations or additions to this Constitution, which shall require a two-thirds majority of votes cast; and
(b) removal from office of a Committee Member, which shall require a three-quarters majority of votes cast.

6. A member who is unable to attend a General Meeting may appoint another member to act as his proxy. The Secretary must be given written notification of such a proxy appointment no later than the beginning of the meeting.

5. Committee Meetings

1. The Committee shall meet at least once in each quarter of the calendar year.

2. The quorum for a Committee meeting shall be five Committee members.

3. Every member of the Committee shall have an equal vote. If a vote is tied, the chairman shall have a casting vote.

4. Any member of HDWS may attend a Committee meeting as an observer. Such a member has no right to vote, but may address the meeting if invited to do so by the Committee.

5. An Extraordinary Meeting of the Committee may be called by any Committee member at any time, with reasonable notice.

6. The Committee may authorize expenditures up to a maximum of £100 from the HDWS Account on any single project. Receipts must be provided to the Treasurer. A General Meeting must be held to seek authorization from the members for expenditure over £100.

7. The Committee may authorize an HDWS member to hold a cash float of up to £20 from Society funds for incidental expenses. Such authorization must be noted in the minutes of the Committee Meeting. Any expenditure from such a float must be accounted for and, wherever possible, supported by receipts.

6. Property

1. The Vice Chairman shall maintain an inventory of HDWS property. Each item is to be identified as belonging to HDWS.

2. No property belonging to HDWS may be removed from the premises without notifying the Vice Chairman, or in his absence, a Committee member.

7. Misconduct

1. The Committee shall have the power to seek compensation from and/or reprimand or expel any member whose conduct shall in their opinion render him unfit for membership.

2. No member shall be disciplined without first having been given the opportunity to explain their conduct to a meeting of the Committee.

8. Alterations and Additions to the Constitution or Rules

1. No alterations or additions to this Constitution or to the Rules shall be made other than those made at an Annual General Meeting or an Extraordinary General Meeting.
(a) Alterations or additions to this Constitution shall require a two-thirds majority of votes cast on the matter.
(b) Alterations or additions to the Rules shall require a simple majority of votes cast on the matter.

2. Fourteen days notice of any proposed alteration or addition shall be given in writing to the Secretary who shall distribute such with notice of meeting.

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1. Objective

1. This Rules Document is intended to lay down rules and procedures for the running of HDWS business. These matters do not properly belong in the Constitution, as they are not, in themselves, essential to the existence of the Society and may well change from time to time.

2. Behaviour

1. All members of HDWS will behave in accordance with the rules of the venue at which the Society meets.

2. When representing the Society at events away from the normal venue, members will behave in a manner which will reflect well on the Society.

3. No member shall attempt a coup or bloody revolution without giving reasonable notice.

3. Voting

1. Voting will be by show of hands, except in the case of contested elections or other matters which are felt to be contentious. Such votes will be by secret ballot.

4. Elections

1. Any member of the Society may stand for any elected office, except that the office of Treasurer must be held by a member aged 18 or over.

2. A candidate for office must be a paid-up member of the Society and be proposed and seconded by paid-up members (members may propose themselves).

3. Nominations must be given to the Secretary no later than the beginning of the meeting.

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