Friends of Ryebank Fields Constitution
Aims
The Friends of Ryebank Fields (hereafter referred to as the Association) will aim to:
- Protect this unique wild space for the benefit of the community.
- Preserve and develop the flora and fauna on the site.
- Engage in research about the site, including its history and ecology and to disseminate this broadly.
- Increase awareness of Ryebank Fields within the local community and beyond.
- Foster positive relationships with other community groups locally and further afield to protect and promote Ryebank Fields.
- Work closely with Manchester City Council and bordering Trafford Council to support their ambitions to improve environmental outcomes.
- Work closely with campaigning groups, such as charities and community organisations that support the aims of the Friends of Ryebank Fields.
- Build a network of people who can protect, promote and preserve Ryebank Fields into the future.
Membership
Membership will be open to all interested in actively furthering the aims of the Association.
Corporate members shall be such societies, associations; educational institutions or businesses as are interested inactively furthering the needs of the Association. A corporate member shall appoint one representative to vote on it’s behalf at all meetings but before such representative exercises his/her right the corporate member shall give written details of the representative to the Secretary.
Meetings
The inaugural General Meeting will be held on 23rd October 2019 followed by an Annual General Meeting around October 2020.
There will be a minimum of four ordinary meetings of the Association each year, the timing of which will be decided by the Executive Committee. Special General meetings of the Association shall be held at the written request of 25 per cent or more members or by the Officers of the Association.
The Executive Committee shall give at least 21 days notice to members of the Annual General Meeting each year and at least 7 days notice of other meetings.
In the event of equality in the votes cast at an Annual General Meeting or Special General meeting the motion will fall.
The AGM will from time to time consider and approve standing orders for the conduction of meetings and financial regulations.
Officers
Nomination for the election of officers shall be made in writing to the Secretary at least 7 days before the Annual General Meeting. To be valid a nomination must be of a member of the Association who is resident of the local neighbourhood, their nomination must be proposed and seconded by other members and the consent of the nominee must be obtained. Nomination forms will be available on request from the Secretary. If there is no nomination for a particular post received 7 days before the Annual General Meeting nominations shall be accepted from the floor of that meeting.
Nominees for election as officers of Executive Committee members shall declare at the meeting of which their election is to be considered any financial or professional interest known or likely to be of concern to the Association.
The Officers of the Association shall consist of:
Chair
Vice Chair
Secretary
Assistant Secretary
Treasurer
Assistant Treasurer
All of who shall relinquish their office every year and shall be eligible for re-election at the Annual General Meeting, but no individual may serve more than 3 consecutive years in one post, unless no other member is eligible or nominated. The Executive Committee shall have the power to fill casual vacancies occurring among the Officers from the membership of the Association.
The Executive Committee
The Executive Committee shall be responsible for the management and administration of the Association. The Executive Committee shall consist of the Officers and not less than 5 and not more than 8 individual members, plus up to 3 corporate members.
The Executive Committee shall have the power to co-opt further members who shall attend in an advisory and no-voting capacity.
In the event of equality in the votes cast at a meeting of the Executive Committee the motion will fall. Nomination for election to the Executive Committee shall be made in writing to the Secretary at least 7 days before the Annual General Meeting. To be valid nominations must be of members who are local residents (with the exception of corporate members), proposed and seconded by two other members and the consent of the nominee must be obtained. Nomination papers will be available from the Secretary on request.
If fewer nominations are received by the deadline than there are vacancies, nominations may be taken from the floor of the meeting up to the number of vacancies available.
Members of the Executive Committee shall be elected annually at the Annual General Meeting of the Association; outgoing members may be re-elected up to a maximum of 6 consecutive years, unless no other member is eligible or nominated.
The Executive Committee shall meet not less than 4 times a year. The Secretary shall give all members not less than 7 days notice of all the meetings.
The quorum shall be 5 Members of the Executive Committee.
The Executive Committee shall have the power to fill casual vacancies occurring between General Meetings from amongst the paid up members of the Association.
Elections
If more than one valid nomination for an officer post is received within the time specified, or if the number of valid nominations for members of the Executive Committee received within the specified time exceeds the numbers of places available, election shall be by a show of hands at the Annual General Meeting.
Only those members of the Association present in person at the meeting may vote.
The votes will be counted during the meeting, scrutinisers appointed by the meeting and the results announced before the end of the meeting.
Sub-committees
The Executive Committee may constitute such subcommittees from time to time as shall be considered necessary for such purposes as shall be thought fit in pursuit of the aims of the Association.
The members of each sub- committee shall be appointed by the Executive Committee from amongst the members of the Association. Subcommittees may, with the approval of the Executive Committee, co-opt members who are not members of the Association but they shall advise in an advisory and nonvoting capacity only.
In the event of an equality of votes cast at any meeting of any subcommittee the motion will fall. Members of the Executive Committee may be members of any subcommittee.
Subcommittees shall be subordinate to and may be regulated or dissolved By the Executive Committee.
Declaration of Interest
It shall be the duty of every member who is in any way, directly or indirectly, interested financially in any item discussed at any meeting of the Association (including any meeting of any committee or subcommittee) at which s/he is present to declare such interest and s/he shall not discuss such item (except by invitation of the Chair) or vote there on.
Expenses
The Executive Committee shall, out of the funds of the Association, pay all proper expenses of administration and management of the Association.
After the payment of the administration and management expenses and the setting aside to reserve of such sums as may be deemed expedient, the remaining funds of the Association shall be applied by the Executive Committee in furtherance of the purposes of the Association.
Investment
All moneys at any time belonging to the Association and required for immediate application for it’s purposes shall be invested by the Executive Committee in or upon such investment, securities or property as it may think fit, subject nevertheless to such authority, approval or consent by the Charity Commissioners as may for the time being be required by law or by the special trusts affecting any property in the hands of the Executive Committee.
Amendments
This constitution may be amended by a 2/3rds majority of members voting at an Annual General Meeting or Special General Meeting of the Association confirmed by a simple majority of members voting at a further Special General Meeting held not less than 28 days after the previous meeting, providing that at both meetings the majority of those present and voting are residents of the local neighbourhood.
If a motion for dissolution of the Association is to be proposed at an Annual General Meeting or a Special General meeting this motion shall be referred to specifically when notice of the meeting is given.
In the event of dissolution of the Association the available funds of the Association shall be transferred to another body with similar objectives.
On dissolution the minutes and other records of the Association shall be deposited with the Local Studies Section of the Central Reference Library.
Adopted by:
Name: JULIE RYAN Committee Role: VICE CHAIR Signature:
Date: 23/10/19 Laura Taylor 12/22/2020