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Constitution
The constitution is shown below, it is a draft copy from a scan that does not show amendments made during the 2008 AGM. A more complete version will be uploaded shortly.
THE OLD WORDSWORTHIANS' ASSOCIATION CONSTITUTION
Charity Registration No, 1000819
1. NAME
The name of the Charity shall be The Old Wordsworthians' Association hereinafter called "the Association".
2 OBJECTS
(i) To assist persons who have not attained the age of 25 years and who are in need of financial assistance and who are preparing for, entering upon or engaged in any profession, trade, occupation or service, by providing them with outfits, or by paying fees, travelling or maintenance expenses, or by such other means for their advancement in life or to enable them to earn their living as the Trustees think fit.
(ii) To advance the education of the pupils of Bishop Wordsworth's School by providing and assisting in the provision of facilities for education at the School (not normally provided by the Local Education Authority).
(iii) To relieve poverty amongst persons who are in conditions of need, hardship or distress.
3 POWERS
In furtherance of the above-mentioned objects but not otherwise, the Association may>
(a) Make financial grants or loans to members or intending members (if still at
school) of the Association below the age of twenty five years at the date of
application for such grant or loan to assist them in training, further or higher
education, travelling abroad to gain experience (but not for holidays) or such
other activity which in the opinion of the Association lends itself to the
development of their careers and experience.
(b) Award prizes, whether monetary or otherwise, to pupils of Bishop Wordsworth's
School, Salisbury, Wiltshire for such achievements as the Association considers
lend themselves to the development of the career and experience of the
prizewinners or other members or intending members of the Association.
(c) Make financial grants or loans to Bishop Wordsworth's School, Salisbury,
Wiltshire in furtherance of the School's activities in the development of the
careers and experience of members and intending members of the Association.
(d) Make financial grants or loans to members or intending members of any age of
the Association who may by reason of old age, illness or infirmity have fallen into
distress.
(e) Employ and pay any person or persons to supervise, organise and carry on the
work of the Association and make all reasonable and necessary provision for the
payment of pensions and superannuation to or on behalf of employees and their
widows and other dependants.
(f) Bring together in conference representatives of voluntary organisations,
Government departments, statutory authorities and individuals.
(g) Promote and carry out or assist in promoting and carrying out research, surveys
and investigations and publish the useful results thereof.
(h) Arrange and provide for or join in arranging and providing for the holding of exhibitions, meetings, lectures, classes, seminars and training courses.
(i) Collect and disseminate information on all matters affecting the said objects and exchange such information with other bodies having similar objects whether in this country or overseas.
(j) Undertake, execute, manage or assist any charitable trusts, which may lawfully be undertaken, executed, managed or assisted by the Association.
(k) Cause to be written and printed or otherwise reproduced and circulated,
gratuitously or otherwise, such papers, books, periodicals, pamphlets or other documents or films or recorded tapes (whether audio or visual or both) as shall further the said objects.
(1) Purchase, take on lease or in exchange, hire or otherwise acquire any property and any rights and privileges necessary for the promotion of the said objects and construct, maintain and alter any buildings or erections necessary for the work of the Association.
(m) Make regulations for any property which may be so acquired.
(n) Subject to such consents as may be required by law, sell, let, mortgage, dispose of or turn to account all or any of the property or assets of the Association.
(o) Subject to such consents as may be required by law, borrow or raise money for the said objects and accept gifts on such terms and on such security as shall be deemed to be necessary.
(p) Raise funds and invite and receive contributions from any person or persons whatsoever by way of subscription and otherwise PROVIDED THAT the Association shall not undertake permanent trading activities in raising funds for the said objects.
(q) Invest the monies of the Association not immediately required for the said objects in or upon such investments, securities or property as may be thought fit, subject nevertheless to such conditions (if any) as may for the time being be imposed or required by law.
(r) Do all such other lawful things as are necessary for the attainment of the said objects.
4 MEMBERSHIP
(a) Full membership of the Association shall be open to individuals of 18 years and
over who have attended (or are attending) as pupils at Bishop Wordsworth's
School, Salisbury, Wiltshire and who have paid the annual or life subscription as
laid down from time to time by the Association and who support the objects of the
Association
(b) Junior membership of the Association shall be open to individuals below the age
of 18 years who have attended (or are attending) as pupils at Bishop
Wordsworth's School, Salisbury, Wiltshire and who have paid all or part of the
annual or life subscription as laid down from time to time by the Association and
who support the objects of the Association.
(c) Honorary membership of the Association shall be conferred on all past and
present members of the teaching staff at Bishop Wordsworth's School, Salisbury,
Wiltshire and such other persons as shall from time to time be deemed appropriate
by the Association.
(d) Full members shall have one vote each; junior and honorary members shall not be
entitled to vote.
5 ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING
(a) The Annual General Meeting (AGM) shall be held each year on a date in the
months April to July inclusive as agreed by the Executive Committee of Trustees.
(b) All members, junior members and honorary members, whose whereabouts are
known to the Executive Committee of Trustees, shall be notified of the time, date
and place of the meeting at least 14 days before the meeting.
(c) Resolutions shall be carried by a simple majority of those votes cast in accordance
with the procedures laid down. In the event of there being an equality of votes,
the Chairman of the meeting shall have the casting vote.
(c) The following business shall be conducted at an AGM>
(i) The Treasurer's report and the adoption of the audited accounts for the previous financial year.
(ii) A report from the Executive Committee of Trustees on the Association's work over the past 12 months.
(iii) Election from among the full membership of a President, Chairman and Vice-Chairman of the Executive Committee of Trustees, Honorary Secretary and Honorary Treasurer and such other Honorary Officers as the Association shall from time to time decide. No one person may hold more than one office simultaneously.
(iv) Election of other members to the Executive Committee of Trustees so as to
provide for a membership of the Committee not exceeding 12 members and not less than 10 members.
(v) The appointment of Auditors and the determination of their remuneration (if any), (vi) Other business as previously notified with the agenda for the meeting.
6. EXTRAORDINARY GENERAL MEETING
An Extraordinary General Meeting (EGM) may be called:-
(a) By the Executive Committee of Trustees.
(b) By the petition of 30 full members delivered to the Honorary Secretary.
An EGM must be called within 21 days of the request being made. Notice of not less than 14 days must be given to members, junior members and honorary members, whose whereabouts are known to the Executive Committee of Trustees giving details of the time, date and place of the meeting and the business to be transacted.
7. EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE OF TRUSTEES
(a) The policy and general management of the affairs of the Association shall be directed by an Executive Committee of Trustees (hereinafter called 2the Committee") which shall meet not less than four times a year and when complete shall consist of not less than 10 or more than 12 members.
(b) The members of the Committee shall be elected at the AGM of the Association in
accordance with Clause 5 ante and shall constitute the Trustees of the
Association.
(c) Election to the Committee shall be for three years. At the conclusion of this
period, a member of the Committee may offer himself for re-election for a further
period of three years. At the conclusion of two consecutive periods of three years,
a member shall not be eligible for further election to the Committee until an
intervening period of at least three years has passed.
(d) In addition to the members so elected and those elected as honorary officers of the
Association by virtue of clause 5 ante, the Committee may co-opt up to 2 further
members from among the full membership of the Association. The Headmaster
and the Head Boy of Bishop Wordsworth's School, Salisbury, Wiltshire shall be
ex-officio members of the Committee, but without voting rights.
(e) The Committee shall have the power to co-opt additional members from among
the full membership to fill such casual vacancies as may from time to time arise.
(f) Members and co-opted members of the Committee shall each have one vote. In
the event of an equality of votes cast, the Chairman of the Committee shall have
the casting vote.
(g) Any staff employed by the Association may not be members of the Committee.
(h) A member of the Committee who fails to attend 3 consecutive meetings of the Committee without reasonable cause being given shall be deemed to have resigned.
(i) The attendance of 5 Committee members with voting rights shall constitute a quorum at a meeting. No business may be transacted unless a quorum be present.
(j) The Committee shall appoint and fix the remuneration and conditions of service of such staff as may in their opinion be necessary to further the work of the Association.
(k) The Committee may appoint such Sub-Committees or Working parties as it shall deem.necessary and determine their terms of reference, powers, duration and composition. All acts and proceedings of such Sub-Committees and Working Parties shall require ratification by the Committee.
(1) Committee members shall not be entitled to remuneration for their work as
Committee members although reasonable out of pocket expenses may be paid and shall be shown in the annual accounts of the Association.
8. ELECTION OF EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE OF TRUSTEES
(a) Each full member of the Association may nominate (i) one person to hold a position as an officer of the Association (Clause 9) and (ii) persons as ordinary Committee members.
(b) Honorary officers shall be elected by the full meeting at each AGM. No individual shall hold more than one office.
(c) Nominations for honorary officers of the Association must be submitted to the Honorary Secretary at least 21 calendar days before the meeting. Nominations for ordinary members of the Committee may be submitted to the Honorary Secretary either in advance or at the meeting. Should nominations exceed vacancies, election shall be by ballot at the meeting.
9. OFFICERS
(a) The President shall chair the AGM and any EGM; in the event of the President being unable to be present, the Chairman of the Executive Committee of Trustees shall chair such meeting.
(b) The Chairman or, in his absence, the Vice-Chairman, of the Executive Committee of Trustees will chair meetings of the Committee
(c) The Honorary Secretary shall be responsible for calling meetings, keeping minutes and general correspondence.
(d) The Honorary Treasurer shall be responsible for the proper financial management of the Association's affairs.
10 FINANCIAL YEAR
The financial year shall run from 1st January to 31st December.
11 AMENDMENTS TO THE CONSTITUTION
The Constitution may be amended by the resolutions of a general meeting passed with a two-thirds majority of full members present and voting provided that>
(i) Proposed amendments to the Constitution are included in the foil notice of the meeting at which the amendments are proposed, and
(ii) No alteration to Clauses 2, 12 or this Clause shall take effect until the approval in writing of the Charity Commissioners or other body having charitable jurisdiction shall have been obtained and no alteration shall be made that shall have the effect of causing the Association to not be a charity at law.
12 DISSOLUTION
If the Committee by a simple majority decides at any time that on the grounds of expense or otherwise it is necessary or advisable to dissolve the Association, it shall call a meeting of all members of the Association who have the power to vote and whose whereabouts are known, of which meeting not less than 21 days notice (stating the terms of the Resolution to be proposed thereat) shall be given. If such decision shall be confirmed by a two-thirds majority of those present and voting at such meeting the Committee shall have power to dispose of any assets held by or on behalf of the Association. Any assets remaining after the satisfaction of any proper debts and liabilities shall be given or transferred to such other charitable institution or institutions having objects similar to the objects of the Association as the Committee may determine.
13 NOTICES
Any notice may be served by the Honorary Secretary on any member either personally or on his or her appointed representative as the case may be, or by sending it through the post in a prepaid letter addressed to such member at his or her last known address, and any letter so sent shall be deemed to have been received within ten days of posting.
14 INTERPRETATION
For the interpretation of the Constitution, the Interpretation Act 1978 shall apply as it applies to the interpretation of an Act of Parliament. |
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