Constitution

Name of Organisation:

The organisation is called Herefordshire Board Gamers, hereafter referred to as the Club.

Purpose of the Club:

The purpose of the Club is to promote board, card, roleplay and war-gaming (Also known as tabletop or analogue gaming) in all its facets, in the Hereford area. To do this, the Club will provide a community for gamers to meet both online and in person. The Club will arrange club gaming nights and facilitate informal game sessions between members.

The club will promote the hobby of gaming and its health, wellbeing and social benefits, providing free events where practical and possible, including supporting events run by other communities and charities.

The Club will promote positive relations and support other games clubs or societies when practicable.

The Club will vote for a charity of the year from candidates nominated by the members, will organise at least one charity  fund-raising event a year, and will support other charity and community groups where practical and possible. The club has an option to appoint a permanent primary charity which can be changed at the AGM.

Membership:

Membership is open to all and is deemed to be conferred after participation in three organised sessions within 12 months. Only members may vote at Club meetings (including AGM) or otherwise be involved in Club decisions. There are no mandatory fees, but optional donations may be requested at each meeting; these will go either towards club funds or to the nominated charity.

Offices:

The club has three key offices: Chair, Treasurer and Secretary, as well as sub offices of Vice Chair and Child Protection / Diversity. Elections will be held at the AGM. All members who have attended three organised sessions that year are entitled to vote or run for office by expressing their desire to the Chair prior to or during the AGM. Members with special skills may also be invited to become coopted committee members.

Key offices and duties:

a. Chair: Responsible for the overall management of the club and ensuring each committee member carries out their responsibilities appropriately. Prepares the agendas for meetings and ensures all members have a fair hearing at those meetings before any voting occurs. Will present an Annual Report on the club at the AGM. Counter-signs any cheques required. Initiates and maintains contact with other clubs or organisations. Specific responsibility for welcoming ‘Visitors’ to the club.
b. Treasurer: Keeps accurate financial and member attendance records during the year and presents the committee with a quarterly financial assessment. Presents the club membership with a detailed Financial Report and statement of accounts at the AGM. Monitors club expenditure and signs any cheques required.
c. Secretary: Takes meeting minutes, administrative duties.
d. All Committee Members will also assist in organising or running club events and generally promoting the Club. In addition, they may be called upon to use their specialist skills, e.g. photography, to enhance or record club events and projects.
e. Committee members may resign at any time or be dismissed at either an AGM or EGM.
f. Chair, Treasurer and Secretary are named signatories for authorising expenditure.

Conduct:

a. Equal Opportunities and Abuse: No member or visitor shall be discriminated against on grounds of sex, ethnic group, colour, religion, physical or mental status, political beliefs, sexual orientation, social class or anything a reasonable person would find unjust. Whilst the Club will promote equal opportunities for all, it will also take action to deal with any reports of physical, psychological, sexual or other abuse.
b. Conduct of Club: All Club members and participants in Club activities must abide by:
The Statutory and Common Law of the United Kingdom;
All Health and Safety laws and rules applicable to the UK;
The rules of the Club as stated in its Constitution or in other communications authorized by the committee.
Members or participants in breach of any of these laws and rules or deemed to have brought the good name of the Club into disrepute may be excluded, either permanently or temporarily, from club activities and communications and from association with/membership of the Club. The Club accepts no liability for any damage or injury to person or property at any of its activities, nor for the actions of any persons attending any of its activities. Anyone attending activities organised by the Club is understood to do so entirely at their own risk.

c. Suspension: Whatever the period involved, any suspended member may not attend the club premises nor be involved in any club activity for the duration of the suspension. Failure to comply will lead to an automatic three meeting suspension, to run consecutively to any current suspension, and may result in an EGM to discuss the situation.
d. Complaints: If a complaint is made in writing regarding a participant in Club activities, the Chair will make inquiries to establish whether any informal resolution can be agreed by the parties concerned. If this is the case then no further action need be taken, but if not then the Chair must organise a meeting of the committee to discuss the allegations and decide whether exclusion from Club activities or other measures are appropriate;

Financial

Expenditure to be signed by any two of the three authorised signatories.

Amendments/Dissolution:

No amendment to this Constitution. nor may the Club be Dissolved without the consent of a majority vote at either an AGM or an EGM. Should Dissolution occur then the Committee will terminate any commitments and liabilities of the Club and all money held will be donated to a registered charity. Club assets will be divided amongst the membership or nominated charities as fairly as possible by the outgoing committee.