Rules and Constitution

Rules

1. The name of the organisation is the Cambridge District Art Circle (hereinafter CDAC).

2. The aim of the CDAC is to encourage interest in painting in all media through demonstrations, workshops and exhibitions of members’ work. A book library is available for members’ use.

3. The CDAC is open to anyone interested in its aims, subject to a current maximum membership of one hundred and ten paying members plus eligible honorary members (who have been members for >25years). Members pay an annual subscription due 1st March each year. A member joining during the course of a year pays a reduced subscription. Late payment may lead to termination of Membership.

4. The Committee shall consist of an elected Chairman, and nine to twelve further elected committee members with duties allocated by the committee as follows: Deputy Chairman, Treasurer, Deputy Treasurer, Secretary, Programme Organiser, Publicity Organiser and Catering Manager. The committee has powers to co-opt. The Chairman and Committee members are elected for three-year periods and are eligible for re-election. The Committee can deny membership to any applicant, and can recommend the expulsion of any member, but individuals in each case have the Right of Appeal to a general meeting.

5. Members may bring up to three guests to a reasonable number of demonstration evenings in any one year, for which a fee of £5 per guest is currently charged.

6. At least one Exhibition is held annually. Any member is entitled to exhibit paintings without selection, but subject to Exhibition Rules. Competitions for best entries may be held.

7. An Annual General Meeting must be held each calendar year, currently in March. The Committee meets at least six times per year. An Extraordinary General Meeting may be called by the Committee or by ten per cent of the membership. A quorum of 25 members is required for any General Meeting. A quorum of four is required for Committee Meetings. Subject to the Constitution, the Committee may regulate proceedings of meetings as they see fit. Questions arising at a meeting are decided by a majority of votes cast. In the case of an equality of votes on any issue the Chairman is entitled to a casting vote in addition to any other vote he or she may have. Minutes are kept of all meetings.

8. The financial year is from 1st January to the end of the calendar year. Accounts, scrutinised by a non-committee member, must be presented for adoption at the relevant Annual General Meeting.

9. CDAC has appropriate public liability insurance.

10. Every member undertakes to contribute an amount not exceeding one pound sterling to the CDAC’s assets if it should be wound up while he or she is a member or within one year after he or she ceases to be a member. This sum is solely for the purpose of contributing towards debts and liabilities and towards the costs of winding up. If, however, the CDAC is dissolved, then after satisfying all debts and liabilities any remaining assets must be divided equally among current paid up members.

These Rules are based on the Constitution, which sets out the full legal status of the CDAC, together with some extra-Constitutional Bye-rules. They represent the current application of the Constitution to the day to day running of the CDAC. Copies of the Constitution and the Rules may be obtained from the Committee.

CONSTITUTION

PREAMBLE

This Constitution may only be revised by a General Meeting of the Society. Such revision will normally, although not always, be guided by recommendations from the Committee.

1. STATUS and AIMS

1.1 The name of the organisation is the Cambridge District Art Circle (hereinafter the CDAC).

1.2 Membership is open to any person interested in the aims of the CDAC, and is by approval of the Committee. Numbers, excluding honorary members (who have been members for >25years) are restricted initially at the discretion of the committee and ratified at a following General Meeting.

1.3 The aims of the CDAC are to encourage interest in art in all media by holding regular demonstrations, talks, workshops, and at least one exhibition of members work each year and by maintaining a library of appropriate books.

2. STRUCTURE

2.1 The business of the CDAC shall be managed by regular meetings of the Committee, in accordance with the Constitution.

2.2 The Committee shall usually consist of an elected Chairman, and nine to twelve further elected committee members with allocated official responsibilities of Deputy Chairman, Secretary, Treasurer, Deputy Treasurer, Programme Organiser, Publicity Officer and Catering Manager, all of whom shall normally be elected at an Annual General meeting of the CDAC. The Committee shall have powers to co-opt further members from the CDAC as it deems necessary.

2.3 The Chairman and Committee members are elected for a period of three years. Co-opted members normally serve to the end of the year. All are eligible for re-election.

2.4 Nominations, appropriately proposed and seconded by members, and with the nominees’ consent, must be made before the commencement of the AGM.

2.5 The Committee has the power to deny membership to any applicant, the applicant having right of appeal at a General Meeting of the CDAC.

2.6 The Committee has the right (that right not to be unreasonably invoked) to recommend the expulsion of any member. The recommendation must be ratified by a General Meeting of the CDAC, at which the member concerned has the right to appeal.

3. SUBSCRIPTIONS

3.1 Members of the CDAC must pay an annual subscription at such a rate as may be determined from time to time at an Annual General Meeting.

3.2 A member joining during the course of a year shall pay a subscription for that remaining part of the year as shall be determined by the Committee.

3.3 Subscriptions are due from the 1st March of each year.

3.4 A member shall cease to be a member if he or she fails to pay on the due date any subscription or other sum payable by that member and which sum remains unpaid after due warning that such failure will result in loss of membership. Each such decision may be reviewed by the Committee and at its discretion, reversed. In any case, a member in such a situation shall have right of appeal to a General Meeting.

3.5 Members may bring up to three guests to a demonstration evening, for which a fee, determined by the Committee, shall be payable per guest at the time. In any one year guests may attend a limited number of meetings as shall be determined by the Committee.

4. MEETINGS

General Meetings

4.1 An Annual General Meeting must be held each calendar year within fourteen months of the last. It shall be held at such time and place as the Committee sees fit.

4.2 The business of the Meeting shall be to receive the Chairman’s Report of the previous year; to receive and adopt the scrutinized accounts of the previous year together with the Treasurer’s Report; to elect such committee members as may be required for the ensuing year; to consider such business as the Chairman may determine can properly be conducted at the meeting and of which notice has been given and to consider any such other business as the Chairman shall allow.

4.3 The Committee may call an Extraordinary General Meeting at any time.

4.4 An Extraordinary General Meeting may also be called when the Committee receives a requisition signed by ten per cent of the members.

4.5 All General Meetings shall normally be called with 28 clear days written notice and shall specify the place the day and the time of the meeting and the general nature of the business to be transacted. In the case of an Annual General Meeting the notice shall in addition specify that this is such a meeting. If a special resolution is to be proposed the notice shall contain a statement to that effect.

Exhibitions

4.6 At least one exhibition shall be held annually. The time, place and number of exhibitions each year shall be determined by the Committee.

4.7 Any member is entitled to exhibit paintings without selection but subject to Exhibition Rules, which shall be agreed by the Committee.

4.8 At least one competition will normally be held annually and a cup or cups awarded at the discretion of the Committee.

Demonstrations, lectures and workshops.

4.9 The Programme Organizer shall engage, and agree remuneration and defrayment of expenses for any professional invited to demonstrate, lecture or run such events, subject to the approval of the Committee. Non-professional persons involved shall be considered on an individual basis.

5. CONDUCT OF GENERAL MEETINGS.

5.1 No business shall be transacted at any General Meeting unless a quorum of 25 members is present.

5.2 If such a quorum is not present within half an hour of the time appointed for the meeting, the meeting shall be adjourned to such a time and place as shall be decided by the Committee and communicated to the membership. If at the adjourned meeting a quorum is not present within half an hour of the appointed time the members present shall be deemed a quorum.

5.3 The Chairman or Deputy Chairman, or in his/her absence any other Committee member nominated by the Committee, shall preside as Chairman at a meeting. If no Committee member is present within fifteen minutes of the appointed time a Chairman may be elected from among any of those members present.

5.4 The Chairman may, in the presence of a quorum, (and shall, if so directed by the Meeting) adjourn the meeting to another time and place but no business may be transacted at the adjourned meeting that might not have been transacted had the adjournment not taken place. An adjournment of more than fourteen days shall require seven clear days of appropriate notice. For lesser periods no further notice is necessary.

5.5 The order of business shall be at the discretion of the Chairman. The Chairman shall also have the right to amalgamate resolutions or amendments provided that this is with the consent of the proposers.

5.6 A resolution put to vote at a meeting shall be decided by a show of hands unless before or on declaration of the result, a ballot is demanded.

5.7 Unless a ballot has been demanded, the result of the vote as declared by the Chairman, and minuted, shall be conclusive evidence of the fact, without proof of number or proportion of votes recorded for and/or against the motion.

5.8 At the Chairman’s discretion such a demand for a ballot may be withdrawn before the ballot takes place. Such a withdrawal will not invalidate the result of the show of hands declared before the demand was made.

5.9 A ballot shall be taken as directed by the Chairman who may appoint scrutineers (who need not be members) and shall decide the time and place for declaring the results. The ballot results shall be deemed to be the resolution of the meeting at which the ballot was demanded.

5.10 In the case of an equality of votes whether on a show of hands or in a ballot the Chairman shall be entitled to a casting vote in addition to any other vote he or she may have.

5.11 The proceedings of any meeting or of taking of any ballot shall not be invalidated by reason of any accidental informality or irregularity or any want of qualification in any of the persons present or voting.

6. CONDUCT OF COMMITTEES

6.1 Subject to the present Constitution, the Committee may regulate proceedings as they think fit.

6.2 The Chairman or two Committee members may call a Committee Meeting so long as seven clear days notice are given together with general indications of all business to be considered in such a meeting. In exceptional circumstances a shorter notice period may be given.

6.3 Proceedings of any meeting shall not be invalidated by any irregularity in respect of such notice or by reason of any business being considered which is not specified in such general particulars.

6.4 Any Committee member may move without debate that the question be now put and if the motion is seconded and carried by a majority the item before the Committee shall, after the proposer of the relevant item has been offered the right to reply, be put at once.

6.5 It shall be within the power of any Committee member to propose that any other Committee member shall be suspended for the remainder of the meeting and if such resolution shall be seconded and carried by two thirds of those present and entitled to vote then such a member shall forthwith be suspended and shall not be entitled to vote on any subsequent item proposed at that meeting.

6.6 The quorum for transactions of the Committee shall be four. A meeting lacking a quorum shall only be able to act further for the purpose of increasing the number of Committee members to that number or of summoning a General Meeting, and for no other purpose.

6.7 Unless he or she is unwilling to do so, the Chairman shall preside at every meeting of the Committee at which he or she is present. If there is no Chairman or the Chairman is unwilling to preside or is not present within fifteen minutes after the time appointed for the meeting, the Deputy Chairman shall preside and failing that the members present may appoint one of their number to be Chair for the meeting. Upon late arrival a Chairman may opt to take over the Chair from the Substitute Chairman.

6.8 Questions arising at a meeting shall be decided by a majority of votes. In the case of equality of votes the Chairman shall have a second or casting vote.

6.9 The Committee shall meet at least five times per year, such number to be decided as the Committee shall see fit.

6.10 Tasks may be delegated by the Committee to individuals or one or more sub-committees, which shall act in accordance with the instructions of the Committee.

6.11 All acts done by a meeting of the Committee or by a person acting officially for the Committee shall, even if afterwards it is discovered that there was a defect in the appointment of any Committee member or that any of them were disqualified from holding office or had vacated office or were not entitled to vote, be as valid as if such a person had been duly appointed and was qualified and had continued to be Committee member and had been entitled to vote.

6.12 A resolution in writing signed by all the Committee Members entitled to receive notice of a meeting of the Committee shall be as valid and effectual as if it had been passed at a Committee Meeting duly convened and held, and may consist of several documents in the like form each signed by one or more Committee Members. The date of such a written resolution shall be the date on which the last Committee Member signs.

7. MINUTES

7.1 Minutes shall be kept of all general meetings and Committee Meetings.

7.2 The minutes shall consist of a record of all persons present at each meeting and an account of the proceedings of each meeting.

7.3 The Minutes shall be approved and signed by the appropriate Chairman at the same or following meeting and as well as that copy a further copy be kept electronically in a backed up system.

7.4 Any such minute duly signed by the Chairman shall, as against any member or Committee Member, be sufficient evidence of the proceedings.

8. FINANCE and INSURANCE

8.1 The financial year shall be from 1st January to the last day of the following December.

8.2 The accounts shall be independently scrutinized by a non-committee member and together with the Treasurer’s Report for the same period shall be presented for adoption at the relevant Annual General Meeting.

8.3 Members borrowing a book from the CDAC’s Library are expected to contribute towards the CDAC’s expenses in maintaining the Library a sum as shall from time to time be decided by the Committee.

8.4 Monies and such transportable property as may be owned by the CDAC shall be placed in the safe-keeping of any such person or persons as shall be agreed by the Committee.

8.5 Cheques shall be signed for and on behalf of the CDAC by no fewer than two from a number of responsible persons previously agreed by the Committee.

8.6 Appropriate public liability insurance shall at all times be maintained to indemnify the activities of the CDAC.

8.7 Further insurance against loss and or damage to properties owned by the CDAC shall be put in place at the discretion of the Committee.


8.8 CDAC aims to hold in reserve an amount equivalent to one year's general expenditure in order to provide financial security for the organisation in the event of reduced or delayed income or unexpected necessary expenditure. The actual amount of reserve required to be determined annually by the treasurer. Any funds held in excess of the determined reserve at the end of any financial year may be expended, in whole or in part, during the forthcoming year on items or equipment for the use of the organisation and or on events and activities which are available to all members.

9. WINDING UP/DISSOLUTION.

9.1 Every member undertakes to contribute an amount not exceeding one pound sterling to CDAC assets if it should be wound up while he or she is a member or within one year after he or she ceases to be a member.

9.2 This sum is solely for the purpose of contributing towards debts and liabilities contracted before he or she ceases to be a member and towards the costs charges and expenses of winding up.

9.3 If, however, the CDAC is dissolved, then after satisfying all debts and liabilities such assets as remain shall be divided equally among those current paid up members.