Constitution

Stapleford Twinning Association

  1. The name of the Association shall be the Stapleford Twinning Association (hereinafter called the Association).
  2. The objects of the Association shall be:
    • to promote and foster friendship and understanding between the people of Stapleford and district, and the people of Villedômer and district in France.
    • to encourage visits and the development of contacts between the linked communities, both by individuals and groups, so as to develop a mutual understanding of the cultural, social, recreational, educational and commercial activities of the linked communities, and
    • in furtherance of the said objects to organise fund-raising activities, to seek membership of, or affiliation to, any other organisation, and to do anything that may be considered necessary or desirable in furtherance of the said objects and for any other charitable purpose considered appropriate from time to time.
  3. Membership shall be open to all persons and organisations in sympathy with the aims of the Association. There shall be up to four categories of membership which in the discretion of the committee from time to time shall include:
    • individual membership, open to persons aged eighteen or more, and, with the permission of a parent or guardian, also to children under that age;
    • family membership, open to couples and families with children under the age of eighteen, and corporate membership, being open to clubs, schools, associations and commercial organisations of Stapleford and district;
    • honorary membership, which may be awarded by resolution of a general meeting to any person, whether or not a member of the Association, who has rendered outstanding service to the objects of the Association. An honorary member shall have the same rights as those of an individual member.
  4. Members of the Association shall be eligible to take part in visits organised by the Association to the linked community or communities. Persons under the age of eighteen visiting the linked community in an organised party, will not be required to be members of the Association. At general meetings individual members of the Association shall be entitled to one vote each and family and corporate membership to two votes.
  5. The Committee shall consist of not more than twelve (12) members, except in special circumstances, and shall be elected at the annual general meeting. Each candidate for elections shall be proposed and seconded by members of the Association.  The officers shall consist of a Chairman, Vice-Chairman, Secretary and Treasurer and shall be elected by the Committee at its first meeting after the annual general meeting.  One quarter* of the Committee members shall retire at the annual general meeting and cannot be re-elected until one year has elapsed.
  6. The Committee shall meet at least four times each year, the quorum at any meeting being four members of whom at least one must be an officer. Any elected member failing to attend three consecutive meetings without reason shall be deemed to have resigned.  Any vacancies arising between annual general meetings may be filled by co-option. The Committee may co-opt additional members.
  7. The Committee shall at all times cause to be kept proper and accurate accounts from which the true financial state of the Association may be shown. All monies received on behalf of the Association shall be kept in safe custody by the Treasurer and all cheques drawn on the Association shall be signed by any two of the persons currently holding the positions of Chairman, Vice-Chairman, Secretary and Treasurer.
  8. The Committee shall be responsible for carrying on the general business of the Association. It may, on behalf of the Association, pay accounts and incur reasonable liabilities of the kind that can properly be justified by the practice or policy of the Association or by urgent need.
  9. The Committee may set up sub-committees from time to time, as it may consider necessary, provided that any such sub-committees will lapse at the first meeting of the Committee after an annual general meeting, and must be set up afresh if its considered existence is deemed necessary. Any such sub-committee will be accountable not only to the Committee but also to the annual general meeting, to whom it will render an accounts of its actions if the said meeting so requires.
  10. An annual general meeting of the Association shall be held each year within three (3) months of the end of the financial year, in Stapleford, at a place determined by the Committee.
  11. Notice of any resolution to be raised at any general meeting shall be sent to the Secretary at least one (1) month before the meeting. The secretary will include resolutions and amendments thereto in the agenda of the meeting and shall circulate the agenda at least fourteen (14) days before the meeting to all members.  The quorum at a general meeting shall be ten (10) members.
  12. An auditor, who shall not be a member of the Committee, shall be elected at an annual general meeting.
  13. Subscriptions shall be at such a level as the Committee shall from time to time decide and shall become due each year at the close of the annual general meeting.
  14. The financial year will run from October 1st to September 30th. A statement of the annual accounts shall be audited and shall be available to members at the annual general meeting.
  15. The Secretary shall convene a special general meeting if so requested by the Committee or if so requested in writing by at least ten (10) members entitled to vote at such a meeting. At least three (3) weeks’ notice must be sent to all members of a special general meeting, indicating the business which it is proposed to transact.
  16. Except by way of their normal trade, members shall not be paid for any services which they perform for the Association, but they may be reimbursed for out of pocket expenses.
  17. The Committee shall have the power to terminate the membership of any individual, family or corporate member should they at any time consider this advisable in the best interests of the Association.
  18. No alteration to the Constitution shall be made except at a General Meeting. Notice of any such alteration shall be included in the Agenda for that meeting. Such alteration will require the consent of two-thirds of votes cast at such a meeting.
  19. The Association shall not be wound up except by consent of two-thirds of the votes cast at a General Meeting, provided that notice of the motion for such a winding-up has been included in the Agenda for that meeting. If the Association is wound up, the property and assets of the Association shall not belong to the members but shall be given to such other organisation or organisations in Stapleford as the General Meeting shall decide.
  20. Current Data Regulations, as set out in our Data Protection and Privacy Policy, can be viewed  on the Association’s website  twinning.staplefordvillage.org.uk (or, if you’re viewing online, you’ll find it here).

Amendment History

a. Constitution of 1991/93 amended at the AGM of 15 November 1994

i. Clause 5: Rotation of Committee Members changed from one-third to one-quarter.

b. Constitution of 1994 amended at the AGM of 17 November 2022

 i. Clause 3: to separate Corporate Membership from Family Membership

 ii. New Clause 5: to establish new service periods for Committee Members

iii. New Clause 13: to align the due date for Subscriptions with the Association’s financial year

iv. New Clause 20: to include for Data Regulations