Club Constitution
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Below is the club constitution, this was updated in 2016.
- 1. The Society shall be called "The Essex Stragglers' Orienteering Society". Its registered abbreviation shall be "SOS".
- 2. The Society shall be affiliated to the British Orienteering Federation and to the East Anglian Orienteering Association (EAOA).
3. The objectives of the Society shall be to:
offer coaching and competitive opportunities in orienteering,
promote the sport of orienteering,
ensure a duty of care to all members of the Society,
provide all its services in a way that is fair to everyone,
ensure that all present and future members receive fair and equal
treatment,
adopt and apply the policies of the British Orienteering Federation with respect to Equity, Child Protection and The Code of Ethics and Conduct and Competition Rules.
4. The Society is intent that children and vulnerable adults will find orienteering a safe environment in which to have fun, learn and develop. The Club will do this by adopting and promoting the British Orienteering Federation Policy on Protecting Young and Vulnerable People.
5. Membership of the Society shall be open to all those who support the object and intent of the Society.
6. Membership shall be open to individuals, families and groups, as defined by the B.O.F.
7. Membership subscriptions to the Society shall be renewable on 1st January each year, and shall be at rates set by the Society's Committee, which shall take note of any Instructions issued by the most recent General Meeting.
8. A General Meeting shall be convened annually, in the Autumn. Notice of the AGM shall be despatched to all members at least 21 days beforehand, with the Agenda.
9. Quorum for a General Meeting shall be 10% of membership units. Votes shall be allotted to members attending General Meetings as follows: one vote for each individual member, one vote for each person having family membership if W 12/M 12 or upwards, and one vote for each group.
10. The following shall be items on the Agenda for the AGM:
Reports of Officers
Statement of Accounts
Subscription Rates for Ensuing Years
Any Proposals for Amendment of the Society's Constitution
Election of Officers for the Ensuing Year
11. The Officers of the Society shall include Chairman, Secretary, Treasurer and others as decided by the Committee from time to time. They shall take office at the termination of the AGM at which they are elected and hold office until the termination of the following AGM.
12. The Officers shall constitute a Committee responsible for the management of the Society. The Committee shall have power to co-opt additional Officers and also to fill casual vacancies occurring between AGMs.
13. The funds of the Society shall be deposited in a bank and withdrawals shall be made upon the authority of any two out of four Officers of the Society, the four to be nominated by a General Meeting.
14. The Treasurer shall maintain separate accounts for projects funded from ‘Awards for All’ lottery grants.
15. In the event of the winding up of the club, the Treasurer shall:
- return any unspent cash from lottery grant funding to the body that made the cash award, then
- clear any outstanding debts, then
- ensure that mapping assets are passed to the EAOA, then
- the remaining assets of the club shall be assigned to the East Anglian Orienteering Association.
16. An Extraordinary General Meeting shall be convened by the Secretary upon receipt of a written request from 10% of the membership units, and shall be governed according to the relevant provisions of Rules 8 & 9, above. The business of an Extraordinary General Meeting shall be confined to the purpose for which it was called.
17. Amendments to the Society's Constitution shall be made only at a properly constituted General Meeting of the Society. They must be stated in full on the Agenda for the meeting, and must be approved by a two-thirds majority of votes cast.
18. The Secretary shall ensure that minutes of General Meetings are taken and preserved.
19. Matters not covered by the Society's Constitution may be decided by the Committee, who shall inform the Society of any major decisions made on their behalf.
20. Safeguarding Children & At-risk Adults
1. The Essex Stragglers Orienteering Society, agrees to adopt the British Orienteering Safeguarding Policy & Procedures.
2. All individuals involved in orienteering through Essex Stragglers Orienteering Society at every level, including participants, Officials, Instructors/Coaches, Administrators, Club Officials or spectators (where it is feasible to manage) agree to abide by the British Orienteering Code of Ethics and Conduct ("Code") and all such individuals participating or being involved in orienteering through Essex Stragglers Orienteering Society in one of the aforementioned roles or in a role which comes within the intended ambit of this paragraph and the British Orienteering Safeguarding Policy & Procedures generally are deemed to have assented to and as such recognise and adhere to the principles and responsibilities embodied in the Code.
3. Each and every constituent member of Essex Stragglers Orienteering Society including without limitation all clubs and disciplines, shall be responsible for the implementation of the British Orienteering Safeguarding Policy and Procedures in relation to their members
October 2016