Whitchurch Folk House Social Club Rules

1. Name and Objects
The Club shall be called the Whitchurch Folk House Social Club hereinafter referred to as "The Club".  The objects of the Club shall be to provide social, cultural, educational and recreational facilities for the members of the Club as governed by the rules of the Club and the constitution of the Whitchurch Folk House Association (hereinafter called "The Association") to which the Club is affiliated.

2. Membership
Membership of the Club is open to: -

i.         Full members who shall be individual members of the Association who have attained the age of 18 years.

ii.        Honorary members who shall be individual members of the Association who have rendered outstanding services to the Association.

iii.      Temporary members who shall be members of a group or organised body visiting the Club in connection with any dance, contest, conference, entertainment or other organised activity to be held at the Club.

iv.      No person may be admitted to membership of the Club without an interval of at least two days between their nomination or application for membership and their admission as a member of the Club nor may any person becoming a member without prior nomination or application be admitted to the privileges of the membership without an interval of at least two days between their becoming members and their admission.

v.        The name and address of any person proposed for election to the membership of the Club must for not less than two days before the election be prominently displayed in the Club premises in a part frequented by the members.

vi.      Membership under paragraph 2(a) shall never be less than 25 in number.

3. Membership Subscription
Membership of the Social Club is included in the membership subscription to the Association. The amount of the membership subscription shall be determined by the Folk House Association Council from time to time.

4. List of Members

i.         The Honorary Secretary shall keep at the Club a list of the names and addresses of the members.

ii.        Members shall within fourteen days give written notice to the Honorary Secretary of any change of address.

iii.      No person shall be accepted as a member of the Club unless he or she shall have submitted an application for membership in writing to the Secretary at least two days beforehand.

5. Members’ Guests
Each member may bring into the Club one guest aged 18 years or over and the name and address of the guest shall be entered in the visitors’ book.
The member will be responsible for the behaviour of his or her guest.
Any individual guest of a member may not attend the Club premises on more than six occasions in any one financial year of the Club.

6. Copies of Club Rules
Each member of the Club, on joining, shall be given a copy of the rules, together with a copy of the Constitution of the Association and up-to-date copy of the rules shall at all times be posted on the premises.

7. Identification
Club members shall be provided with a Club Membership Card with the requirement that it should be produced on request when a member is on the Club premises.

8. Dissolution of the Club

i.         The Club may at any time be dissolved on a resolution to that effect passed at a General Meeting of the Club, by a majority of not less than two thirds of the members present and voting at that meeting.

ii.        In the event of a dissolution of the Club there remain after the satisfaction of debts and liabilities any property, stock and/or credits the same shall be transferred to the Association for the benefit of the Association.

9. Amendments to the Club Rules

i.         Subject to the following paragraphs of these rules, an alteration or addition to these rules may be made at an Annual General Meting or a Special General Meeting of the Club.

ii.        No alteration or addition may be made to these rules unless the Resolution proposing the alteration or addition shall be passed by a majority of not less than two thirds of those present and entitled to vote at the meeting.

iii.      No alteration or amendment shall be made to these rules unless:-

iv.      Notice of the alteration is submitted to the Secretary in writing

v.        Such a resolution is approved by the Council of the Association.

vi.      The Honorary Secretary shall forthwith give written notice of any alteration made to these rules to the Chief officer of Police and to the Clerk to the Licensing Justices for the Petty Session Division of the City of Bristol .

10. Exclusion from the Club

i.         The Club Committee shall have the power to suspend (for a period not exceeding six months) or expel any member who shall contravene any rules of the Club or whose conduct shall, in the opinion of the Club Committee, prejudicially affect the Club or render him or her unfit for membership if the Club

ii.        Before any member is suspended or expelled the Honorary Secretary shall give seven days written notice to the member to attend of the Club Committee and shall inform him or her of the complaints made against him or her.

iii.      No member shall be suspended or expelled without having an opportunity of appearing before the meeting of the Club Committee to explain his or her conduct and answering any complaints made against him or her, unless a majority of not less than two thirds of the members of the Club Committee present at the meeting of the Committee shall vote for his or her suspension or exclusion.

iv.      The Club Committee shall have the power to exclude any members from the Club premises until such meeting of the Committee shall be held.

11. Nominations and Election of the Club Committee

The Club Committee shall consist of:-

i.         The Chairman of the Club

ii.        The Vice-Chairman of the Club

iii.      The Honorary Secretary of the Club

iv.      The Honorary Treasurer of the Club

v.        All of whom shall be elected members.  

The following members may be nominated: -

i.         Five members nominated by the Council of the Association from amongst members of the Council of the Association, one of whom shall be an officer of the Association.

ii.        The elected Officers and Committee shall all be elected at the Annual General Meeting by the full and Honorary Members of the Club.

iii.      The Club Committee may at its first meeting after the annual General Meeting or at any subsequent meeting appoint a sub-committee for any purpose.

iv.      All members of such a sub-committee shall be full or Honorary Members of the Club and not less than two thirds of the members of any such Sub-Committee shall be members of the Club Committee.

v.        On a casual vacancy amongst the elected members of the Club Committee or any Sub-Committee of the Club Committee, the Club Committee may appoint a full or Honorary Member of the Club to fill the vacancy for the remainder of the elected member’s term of office.

vi.      He quorum of any meeting of the Club Committee shall be five members.

12. Purchase and Supply of Intoxicating Liquor:

i.         The purchase for the Club and supply by the Club of intoxicating liquor and the management of the bar shall be under the control of the Bar Committee which shall be a sub-committee of the Club Committee.

ii.        The Bar Committee shall at its first meeting elect a Chairman, Vice-Chairman, Honorary Secretary and Honorary Treasurer who shall be the Honorary Treasurer of the Club.

iii.      The right to purchase and consume intoxicating liquor on the licensed premises shall be limited to members, guests and bona fide visitors over the age of 18 years.

iv.      Intoxicating liquor may only be sold for consumption off the premises to club members.

v.        Persons other than Club members and their bona fide guests shall be permitted to purchase intoxicating liquor when attending at the Club for an organised function for the benefit of the Club on not more than six such organised functions in any one financial year.

13. Permitted Hours:

i.         The permitted hours of opening for the sale of intoxicating liquor shall be: -

ii.        Normal licensing hours for the City of Bristol .

iii.      Or such hours as the Bar Committee may from time to time determine in accordance with the provisions of the Licensing Act for the time being in force and as notified to the Clerk to the Justices for the Petty Sessional Division of the City of Bristol .

iv.      A notice of times of opening and closing of the Bar shall be posted in the Club Bar.

14. Profits of the Club

i.         All profits made by the Club after making all necessary allowances for expenses and reserves, shall be paid to the Association for the purposes of the Association (which is a registered charity).

ii.        No person shall receive at the expense of the Club any commission, percentage or similar payment, on or with reference to purchase of intoxicating liquor by the Club. No person shall directly or indirectly derive any pecuniary benefit from the supply of intoxicating liquor by or on behalf of the Club to members or guests, apart from the benefit accruing to he Club as a whole.

15. Financial Year
The financial year of the Club shall coincide with that of the Association and the Club’s accounts shall be audited as part of the Association’s General Account.

16. Annual General Meeting and Notice of Meetings
The Annual General Meeting of the Club shall be held in the month of May each year. Notice in writing of any business to be discussed shall be given to the Hon. Secretary not less than seven days before the Meeting. Notice of the Meeting shall be given to each member or to be placed on the Club notice board not less than fourteen days prior to the Meeting. In addition to the Annual General Meeting there shall be ten Meetings of the Club Committee in each financial year.

17. Extraordinary General Meeting and Special Meetings
An Extraordinary Meeting of the Club maybe called at the discretion of the Club Committee or at the request of at least twenty Club members on giving twenty one days notice to the Hon. Secretary.

18. By-Laws

i.         The Club Committee shall have the power to make such by-laws as it may consider necessary for the good management or order of the Club, provided that no such by-law shall be inconsistent with these rules.

ii.        A copy of such by-laws shall be posted in a conspicuous place upon the Club premises.

Any matter or dispute for which no provision is made in these Rules shall be determined by the Club Committee whose decision shall be final and binding upon all members.