CLUB CONSTITUTION 22/23

Last updated 11/08/23

INTRODUCTION

1.1. The club will be called “Exmouth Pilot Gig Club” but may also be referred to as “Exmouth Gig Club” or, specifically in this document, “the club”.

1.2. The club constitution defines the rules upon which the club is based and these rules shall apply equally to all members.

1.3 The club shall adopt the guidelines and best practices as outlined by British Rowing and The Cornish Pilot Gig Association (CPGA) to which it shall become affiliated.

PURPOSE, AIMS AND OBJECTIVES

2.1. The purpose of the club is to provide facilities and Promote participation in the amateur sport of pilot gig rowing to the people of Exmouth, The Exe estuary and the surrounding area.

2.2. The club aims and objectives include:

• Offer rowing, coxswain and coaching opportunities to the local community.
• Offer opportunities to compete with other gig rowing clubs.
• Promote the club and the sport within the local community.
• Manage and maintain the equipment owned or managed by the club.
• Provide its services in a way that is safe and is fair to everyone, upholding the policies of those organisations mentioned in section 1.3, especially with regards to policies concerned with health and safety, safeguarding/protection of minors, disciplinary procedure including appeals.
  

MEMBERSHIP

3.1. Membership of the club shall be open to all, regardless of sex, age, ethnicity, nationality, sexual or political orientation, religious or other beliefs. Exceptions can only be made for safety or insurance reasons.

3.2. All members will be subject to the regulations of this constitution, and by joining the club will be deemed to have accepted the adopted policies, codes of practice and the guidelines within the “Rowers Handbook”. (Appendix 1) and those of the Cornish Pilot Gig Association (CPGA).

3.3. The club reserves the right to disqualify people from membership, refuse application or refuse to renew membership only when a good cause exists such as threatening behaviour or behaviors that might bring the club into disrepute. Appeal against such a decision can be made directly to the committee.

3.4. The club may limit the capacity of the membership and action a “waiting list” to join should the available resource be unable to meet demand. Persons on a waiting list will be invited to join the club in chronological order as and when resource becomes available.

3.5. The categories for membership will be:

• Full member. Any person aged 18 and over at time of joining/renewal.
• Junior member. Any person aged 11 to 17 inclusive at time of joining/renewal.
• Supporter/social member. Any person aged of 18 and over who wishes to enjoy the social  benefits of the club without “active participation”. They would be eligible to ride in the pilot seat at the discretion of the coxswain.

3.6. Membership fees shall be decided by the committee each year prior to the 1^st of April and shall be attached to this document in Appendix 2. The committee reserves the right to reduce the membership fee when less than 5 months of the year is remaining, should it deem necessary.

PROPERTY AND FUNDS

4.1. The property and funds of the club cannot be used for direct or indirect private benefit of members other than reasonably allowed by the rules. The loan of club equipment for personal use shall be agreed by the committee.

4.2.1.1. All surplus income or profits are to be reinvested in the club. No surpluses or assets will be distributed to members or third parties. Examples of such items may include, but are not limited to, sporting facilities, social facilities, coaching/training courses, insurance, first aid equipment and training, equipment necessary to operate the club.

4.2.1.2. Any grants or donations offered to the club shall be accepted at the discretion of the committee who shall take reasonable steps to ensure that there are not any unreasonable* conditions attached OR that the funds have not originated from a “dubious” source/location such that might reflect badly on the club.

(*Examples of unreasonable conditions would be to commit the club to actions that might have a negative impact on the club, such as “The club must repay the grant on demand or face having all assets seized”. A condition such as “not being able to raise finance against equipment donated to the club” could be considered reasonable.).

4.2.2. All club monies will be banked in accounts held in the name of the club.

4.2.3. The club treasurer will be responsible for the club funds and shall report to the committee at each meeting. The treasurer will also present an annual statement of accounts at the AGM.

4.2.4. All cheques drawn against club funds shall bear the signature of two committee members from a pool of up to 4 recognised signatories. Signatories’ shall be committee members and must not be resident at a common address.

4.2.5. All purchases made on behalf of the club must have prior approval of both the Chair and the Treasurer.

Note: Any purchases that are made for the club but that have not been approved by the committee shall be deemed to be a gift and the monies shall not be reimbursed.

4.3. The club may, in connection with the purposes of the club:

• Sell/supply food and drink.
• Sell/supply clothing and equipment.
• Sell sponsorship to 3^rd parties.

4.4. Club members can vote to wind up the club if not less than 75% of those present at a properly convened AGM or EGM vote in favour of doing so when the number of attendees at such a meeting exceeds 50% of the membership.

4.5. Should the vote be to wind up the club, the committee will be tasked with selling or disposing of the club’s assets. These assets, the proceeds from the sale and any funds held by the club shall be distributed to:

• Another club with a similar sports purpose to the club that is a registered charity, And/or
• Another club with a similar sports purpose to the club that is registered as a Community Amateur Sports Club (CASC), And/or
• The club’s governing body for use by them for related ventures.
  

THE COMMITTEE

5.1. The committee shall be made up of not less than 5 and not more than 10 persons.

5.1.1. Should the committee fall below the minimum requirements, or the minimum requirement is not reached prior to the AGM then one of the following shall apply:

1. If at the AGM nominations’ can be sought from the floor, each nominee must beseconded and must be willing to stand.
2. If “mid-year” a notification shall be sent to members informing them of thesituation and asking for nominations, which will be made on the standard form at appendix 5. Should the number of nominations then exceed the maximum number of committee members an EGM shall be called and the necessary vote held as detailed in section 6.4

5.1.2 Should an EGM election be required the existing committee members will not be required to stand down. These elections shall be run in accordance with section

6.4 of the constitution.

5.1.3. If, after following the process laid down in section 5.1.1 the minimum number of committee is still not met then the committee can continue below that minimum for a maximum of 4 months after which the procedures in section 5.1.1 shall be re-actioned.

5.2. There shall be a nominated person for the positions of chairman, vice chairman, secretary, treasurer and health, safety and welfare. These are defined as “senior roles” and persons may not hold more than one of these positions.

• The positions listed in paragraph 5.2 shall be voted on by the committeemembers as soon as practical after an AGM and the current chairman, or in case of election of chairman, the outgoing chairman, shall have the casting vote. If the Chairman is absent the vice chairman shall fulfil this role.
  • Should there be no person assigned to a “senior role” the responsibilities shallbe split between the other members of the committee.
  • An individual may not hold the position of chair for more than 3 yearsconsecutively.
  • Members of the committee will have limited financial responsibility to the club ofnot more than £1 in the event the club ceases to operate, or there is any kind of financial claim against the club.
  • The committee shall aim to meet monthly but should not meet less than 10 times in 12 months and there shall be no longer than 2 calendar months between meetings.
  • The quorum required for business to be agreed at meetings shall be 50%. Eachcommittee member may cast one vote, in the event of a tie the Chairman has the casting vote, in the absence of the Chairman the Vice Chairman shall have the casting vote.

5.6.1. All committee members shall stand down each year at the AGM but will be eligible to re-join or to be re-elected to the committee at the AGM in accordance with section 6.4 of this document.

5.6.2. At the end of September, following the end of the racing season, should the committee not be at the maximum number of persons, there shall be one opportunity for members to join the committee. In this instance those willing to join shall notify the secretary, by the last day of September, of their intention to stand using the form at appendix 5. Members wishing to join at this time shall have the support of 5 other members. An EGM will then be called in accordance with section 6.6. where a vote will be required to approve the appointment of the applicant(s). Should the number of applicants exceed the number of vacant spaces on the committee a vote will be held in accordance with section 6.4.2 and section 6.5. Any new committee members will not be eligible to stand for a “senior” role unless there is a vacancy in that role. Committee members appointed at this time will stand down at the next AGM as per 5.6.1.

5.7. The committee shall:

• Be responsible for and oversee the day to day running of the club.
• Be responsible for adopting/changing club policies.
• Have the power to appoint subcommittees, the members of which do not necessarily have to be committee members.
• Be responsible for disciplinary hearings and appeals and can authorise membership suspension or similar measures.

5.8. A list of the current committee members and their specific roles (if applicable) shall be attached to this constitution at Appendix 3. Committee members are expected to make reasonable efforts to attend meetings and to fulfil their roles.

5.9. In exceptional circumstances committee members can be “voted off” the committee. Such a decision would require written notice to the member involved and all other committee members would have to be in agreement. Any such decision could be appealed through the appeals process.

ANNUAL GENERAL MEETINGS & EXTRAORDINARY  GENERAL MEETINGS.

6.1. Notice of AGM’s will be given by the club secretary. Not less than 21 clear days notice is to be communicated to members.

6.2. An AGM is to be held each year within the period of 1^st January to 31^st March.

6.3. The AGM shall receive a report from the committee detailing the club’s affairs, this can be in the form of a “Chairman’s speech”, and also a financial report from the treasurer.

6.4. Nominations for members of the committee must be received by the secretary at least 7 days prior to the meeting. Applicants to the committee must be current club members. Nominations should be made in accordance with the form in Appendix 5. Except for the provision of sections 5.1.1 or 5.6.3. this shall be the only opportunity to join the committee until the following AGM.

6.4.1. All those nominated (and seconded) at the AGM will join the committee provided the number of nominations does not exceed 10, the maximum number of committee members allowed. If there are more than 10 nominees there shall be a vote.

6.4.2. A vote to elect the committee shall consist of all members ranking the nominees in order of preference. The ranks shall then be converted to points (i.e. if 12 nominees, 12 points for 1^st choice, 11 for 2^nd etc…), these points will be summed and the 10 nominees with the greatest number of points will be elected.

6.5. All members aged 18 and over have the right to vote at the AGM and the quorum for AGMs will be 51% of active* voting members. Notions will be passed or persons elected by majority vote or in order of most votes to least. *Active members are defined as those who have attended 3 rowing sessions in the 3 months preceding the AGM.

6.6. The committee has the right to call an Extraordinary General Meeting (EGM) outside of the AGM. EGM’s procedures will be the same as AGM’s except for no reports will be required, only 7 days notice must be given and they can be held at any time of the year.

6.7 Where it is not possible to gather in person, voting can take place online.

DISCIPLINE, APPEALS AND GRIEVANCE

7.1. The committee reserves the right to discipline any member who:

• Seriously contravenes the rules of the club of those policies adopted by the club such as CPGA policies.
• Brings the club into disrepute.
• Receives 3 written warnings regarding “behavior not becoming of a club member” (i.e. not behaving in a fair manner or “doing their bit”).

7.1.2. Disciplinary action may be in the form of removal of coxswains’ privileges, restriction of freedom to participate in extra sessions, expulsion from the club or other action that the committee deems necessary and fair.

• Should the club deem it necessary to discipline a member they will be advised inwriting by the club secretary. The reasons for the action will be clearly documented.
  • Following disciplinary action, a member may appeal to the committee. Such anappeal should be made in writing to the chairman and sent to the address contained in Appendix 4 within 14 days of the committee’s decision.
  • An appeal can also be lodged with the committee should a member, or group ofmembers strongly disagree with a decision taken by the committee that relates specifically to that individual or group.  Should it be a group issue then the whole group must agree that an appeal is to be made.
  • If, following an appeal, a member is still not satisfied, they may lodge agrievance. This must be done in writing to the address in Appendix 4 within 14 days of notification of the unsuccessful appeal. Following the receipt of a grievance, the chairman shall appoint an independent mediator to deal with the complaint and assess whether the committee acted appropriately.

CONSTITUTION AMENDMENTS

8.1. The committee shall have the power to deal with any cases that are not provided for in these rules in a manner that is in keeping with the guidelines of the CPGA.

8.2. The constitution can only be amended following a vote at an AGM or EGM. Suggestions for amendments shall be notified to the secretary with not less than 7 days’ notice before such a meeting.

8.3. Any Appendix to this constitution is considered to be a separate document and, as such, can be updated at the discretion of, and with the agreement of, the committee.

APPENDIX 1

The attached “Members Handbook” forms Appendix 1 and is a standalone document available in the Documents, Policies and Information section the Website.

APPENDIX 2

MEMBERSHIP RATES

Membership runs from the date you join up to and including the 31st April 2024

Non-Rowing Membership or Coxing ONLY. – Access to all of website – but not able to book rows – Attend all Social Events – Coxing of crews (if signed off to do so) – Insured while coxing	£10 / Year
Junior Member Under 18s ONLY – Access to all of the website – Junior Rowing Sessions – Club Rowing sessions – Social Events – Opportunity to attend regattas*	£55 / Year
Full Member All rowers over 18 – Access to all of the website – Club Rowing Sessions – Extra Sessions and social rows – Social Events – Opportunity to attend regattas*	£110 / Year

APPENDIX 3

COMMITTEE MEMBERS

• Chair – Greg Price
• Vice Chair – Sue Golay
• Web and Health & Safety – Ollie Knights
• Treasurer – Jeff Nicholls
• Secretary – Jules Hardwick
• Race Captain – Nicola Price
• New Member Secretary – Jen Mills
• Social & Fundraising Secretary – Meg Rodgers
  

Committee members correct as of July 2023.

Sub-committee Members

• Women’s Captain – Gina Rodgers
• Men’s Captain – Steve Williams
• Men’s Selection Committee:
  • Nicola Price
  • Karen Mossman
• Women’s Selection Committee:
  • Steve Williams
  • George Ford
  • Greg Price
• Social Rowing Sub – Committee
  • Toby Mottram
  • Sue Riley
  • Liz Deasy

APPENDIX 4

CLUB ADDRESS

EXMOUTH GIG CLUB.

65 Egremont Road, Exmouth, Devon. EX8 1SA

exmouthgigclub@gmail.com

APPENDIX 5

COMMITTEE NOMINATIONS

Persons who wish to stand as a candidate for the committee shall notify the secretary on the attached form at least 7 days in advance of the scheduled AGM on this form.

Those who wish to stand must be full members. They must seek one other full member to act as a nominee and a different member to second that nomination.

There are ten spaces available on the committee and should the number of candidates exceed this there will be a vote by all members present at the AGM.

At the first scheduled committee meeting following the A.G.M. the specific roles of each member shall be decided in accordance with the constitution.