THE PROBUS CLUB OF KIDSGROVE
Hereinafter referred to as ‘The Club’
1. TITLE
The Club shall be called The Probus Club of Kidsgrove and shall be non-political, non-sectarian and non-fundraising. It is open to Men and Women.
2. OBJECTIVE
The basic purpose of The Club is to provide the means to enable regular meetings of men and women who in retirement appreciate the opportunity to meet with others having a similar interest in promoting friendship, talks and social events.
3. MANAGEMENT
3 (i). The affairs of The Club shall be managed by a Council consisting of the President, Vice-President, Secretary, Assistant Secretary, Treasurer, Speakers Secretary, Social Secretary, Archivist and Four Ordinary Members.
3 (ii). All members of the Council (except the President) shall be elected by and from the Club members at the Annual General Meeting or at a Special Meeting convened for such purpose.
The President may co-opt up to two members to serve on the Council for a set period but not beyond the following Annual General Meeting. The co-opted members shall enjoy full voting rights.
Council may propose a candidate for the office of Vice President.
If any official cannot complete their term of office, for whatever reason, then the council is authorised to appoint a council member to complete said term of office. Thereafter the said term, the position will be filled by voting at the AGM as per constitution.
3 (iii).
The President shall retire after one year but can continue as an ex-officio member of the council for the following year. The Vice President after one year in office will automatically become President. All other Officers and Ordinary Members elected to council will retire after three consecutive years. In the event that no replacements are elected for any of these Officers, the President shall appeal for any willing member/members to fill the vacancy/vacancies. (A total of 12 Council Members, including the 4 Officials, are needed for the club to exist).
If there is no member or members willing to fill the vacancy or vacancies on the council, then a discussion and vote by all Members is to be taken to consider the future of the club.
If the club is forced to postpone its meetings due to a pandemic or any other reason whereby Officers and Council cannot fulfil their term of office, they may serve for another 12 months, subject to members approving by a simple majority at the A.G.M or E.G.M.
4. MEETINGS
4 (i). Ordinary Meetings of members will be held on the last Wednesday of each calendar month except
December, starting at 10.00am
4 (ii). Council meetings will be called by the President and held not less than four times during The Club’s calendar year. A minimum of seven Members of the Council are required for a quorum and must include at least two of the following officers: President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer.
4 (iii). The Annual General Meeting will be held in June of each year unless otherwise arranged.
4 (iv). Extra-ordinary General Meetings for matters which would otherwise require Annual General Meeting consideration will be held at the discretion of the President OR when a request for the convening of such a meeting is made to Council in writing by five or more ordinary members. The request must clearly state the subject matter to be aired and Council must give due consideration to the request
5. VOTING
Voting on proposals effecting change in Policy require a minimum of two thirds majority support for adoption; voting on ordinary day to day issues require a simple majority of members present.
6. MEMBERSHIP
The maximum membership shall be recommended by the Council after due consideration of all relevant factors. Membership of The Club shall ideally be open to professional or business men and women who have retired or semi-retired. As vacancies arise members will be encouraged to recommend persons who are likely to be suitable for membership. Members are free to loan such persons a copy of The Club’s History to help establish their interest in becoming a member.
The next step will be for the recommending member to seek approval from the President to bring the person to a meeting and, if the person is still interested, to a further one meeting. At the end of the second meeting the President or Vice President shall ascertain if the person still wishes to become a member of The Club and if so, they agree to abide by The Club’s Constitution and any other properly imposed conditions of membership, invite them to complete the relevant application form. The application shall be considered by Council and the Secretary shall notify the applicant of its decision.
If at this time there are no vacancies but the applicant would otherwise be acceptable, they will be placed on a waiting list and notified accordingly.
When inducted into The Club the successful applicant shall be presented with a Probus tie or scarf, lapel badge, a name bar and a presentation pack consisting of The Club’s Constitution, membership telephone list, the names of current club officials and meeting dates for the current year. At or prior to their induction, the new member shall pay the Treasurer for the tie, lapel badge and name bar and the pro-rata annual membership fee.
7. HONORARY MEMBERSHIP
In recognition of a Members’ outstanding contribution to the fulfilment of the aims and objectives of The Club the President, on the recommendation of Council, may confer on him or her the award of Honorary Membership. Honorary Members shall have the same rights, privileges and obligations as Ordinary Members but will be exempt from subscriptions. An Honorary Member’s badge will be presented to him or her to mark the achievement.
8. TERMINATION OF MEMBERSHIP
Members are free to terminate their membership of The Club at any time and on whatever grounds and are required to inform the Secretary accordingly.
The membership of any member can be terminated for any reason that Council considers is not in keeping with the essential or otherwise acceptable requirements of membership. Such decision must be supported by not fewer than six members of Council. The member will be advised by letter from the Secretary. An appeal and appearance before Council by the member involved will be granted provided a written letter of appeal is lodged with the Secretary within ten days of the member being notified of Council’s decision.
9. FINANCE
9 (i) Banking
Banking arrangements shall be at the discretion of the Treasurer. Signatures of any two Officers from the President, Vice President, A Past President, Secretary and Treasurer are required on all cheques drawn on The Club’s account.
9 (ii) Financial Year
The financial year runs from 1st April to 31st March and the annual accounts and balance sheet shall be available at the Annual General Meeting.
9 (iii) Audit
The Accounts will be audited each year by any two members (other than Officers) nominated by the President and to whom their findings will be made known.
9 (iv) Subscriptions
Annual subscriptions are due on 1st July each year and are of such sum as agreed at the Annual General Meeting. Payment must be received by the Treasurer within 3 months of the due date after which, and without prejudice to the provisions of Section 8, membership of The Club will be deemed to have been forfeited unless the default is due to the incapacity or illness of, or other situation beyond the control of, the member concerned.
Members who join the Club after July will, in their first year, pay a subscription pro-rata to the annual fee and based on the month in which they join.
10. ACTIVITIES
Participation in club activities, for example club walks, bowls, trips, visits, etc is purely voluntary and members engaged in such are required to take necessary precautions and measures for their own safety and well-being.
11. CHANGES TO THE CONSTITUTION
Proposals for a change or changes can be made by Council, or by an ordinary member in a written proposal to the President; such proposal to include the name of the proposer and seconder and the detail of the proposed change and must be lodged with the Secretary at least 3 weeks prior to the A.G.M or E.G.M.
12. WINDING UP
In the event of the club being wound up for any reason, any assets shall be distributed to charities or other Probus Clubs, at the discretion of Council.
(August 2023)