Leatherhead Rifle Club
 
“vires in varietate”  
 
 
 
Club Constitution

 

 

  1. The name and title of the club shall be the Leatherhead Rifle Club.
  2. The headquarters of the club shall be at such place as shall from time to time be decided by the Committee.
  3. The objects and aims of the club shall be to foster and encourage the sport of small bore and full bore rifle shooting, to arrange and organise matches and competitions and to improve the standard of shooting amongst members.
  4. The management of the club shall be by committee, which shall be composed of Chairman, Hon. Secretary, Hon. Treasurer (who shall be the Officers of the club) and five other members, all of whom shall have full voting powers.
  5. At meetings of the committee the quorum shall consist of 5 members two of whom shall be other members of the committee.
  6. The committee shall have power at any time and from time to time to fill any temporary vacancy among the Officers and committee. Any Officer or member of the committee so appointed shall hold office only until the next following Annual General Meeting but shall be eligible for re-election
  7. .The term of office of the Chairman, Hon. Secretary, Hon. Treasurer and other committee members shall be for one year provided that all Officers and committee members shall retire annually but shall be eligible for re-election.
  8. Every candidate for membership of the club shall make application for membership on the form prescribed by the committee for that purpose and shall be proposed and seconded by existing members of the club and shall provide the names and addresses of two referees from whom written references may be obtained. The candidate's application will be scrutinised by the committee and it successful the candidate shall be admitted to Provisional Membership which shall last for a initial period of three months and may be extended by the committee in their absolute discretion should they deem it desirable to do so. During the candidate's period of Provisional Membership he shall be subject to supervision at all times when engaged in shooting or target practice by a suitably qualified member of the Club.
  9. No money or property of the club or any gain arising from the carrying on of the club shall be applied otherwise than for the benefit of the club as a whole or for some charitable benevolent or political purpose or purposes chosen by resolution of a general meeting.
  10. All monies received on behalf of the club shall, unless immediately required for proper expenditure for and on behalf of the club, be paid into an account maintained in the name of the club at a branch of one of the London Clearing Banks, and the Chairman, Hon. Treasurer and Hon. Secretary alone shall have power to draw on such account. Two signatures shall be required for all withdrawals.
  11. No prizes or other articles shall be purchased or debts or liabilities incurred on behalf of the club without the previous sanction of the committee.
  12. Proper books of account shall be kept by the Hon. Treasurer and shall be audited every year by the auditors to be appointed annually by the committee. Copies of the accounts so audited shall be presented at every Annual General Meeting and be freely available for inspection by any member.
  13. An annual general meeting of the club shall be held in the months of January or February in each year and fifteen months shall not elapse without a general meeting. At the annual general meeting the following business shall be conducted:

    a.       The presentation and (if accepted) the passing of the accounts for the previous financial year ended on the 31st day of December prior to the meeting which accounts shall first have been audited by the club's auditors

    b.       The election of the Officers and the committee

    c.       Such other business as shall have been communicated to the Hon. Secretary and included in the notice of the meeting sent by him to the members

    d.       Any other business.

  14. An extraordinary general meeting may be convened at any time and shall be convened within twenty one days on the requisition of one fifth of the members of the club for the time being or ten members whichever is the less. Such requisition must state the purpose for which such meeting is required.
  15. The Hon. Secretary shall at least fourteen days before any general meeting send to every member at his address as recorded in the club's books a notice of the meeting stating the time when and the place where it will be held and the business to be conducted.
  16. The business at a general meeting shall be limited to that provided by this constitution and those further matters set out in the notice convening the meeting. The quorum in any general meeting shall be one third of the total membership entitled to vote.
  17. At all meetings of the club each member over the age of eighteen years shall have one vote.
  18. The Chairman of the club shall preside at all meetings of the club but if he shall not be present within fifteen minutes after the time appointed for the meeting or has signified his inability to be present at the meeting, the members present and entitled to vote shall choose one of their number to be the chairman of the meeting.
  19. The Club shall comply with the requirements of The Home Office prescribed from time to time to enable it to be an Approved Club for the purposes of the Firearms Acts for the time being in force and the Hon Secretary or Police Liaison Officer (if different) shall be responsible for the implementation of such requirements.
  20. No alteration or addition to this constitution shall be made except by a resolution carried by a majority of at least two thirds of the members present at a general meeting the notice of which shall have contained particulars of the proposed alteration or addition.
  21. The committee shall have power to formulate such rules and byelaws as they consider to be conducive to the good of the club and the encouragement of the sport.
  22. The annual subscription to the club shall be such sum as may be determined by the annual general meeting. Juniors under the age of eighteen years and OAPs shall pay only half of the current annual subscription. The committee shall be able to increase subscriptions from the first clay of January should they deem it to be in the interest of the club and any such increase must be confirmed at the annual general meeting.
  23. The total membership of the club shall be as agreed by the committee from time to time as relevant to the available facilities.
  24. Any member whose subscription shall remain due and unpaid for three months after the same becomes due and payable shall forfeit club membership and this shall be reported to the Police or other relevant authority by the Hon Secretary or Police Liaison Officer in accordance with the current criteria prescribed for Approved Clubs by the Home Office.
  25. An Officer of the club and one committee member shall upon their joint decision and in their absolute discretion have the power to suspend the membership of any member who shall allegedly have been involved in any conduct unbefitting him for membership of the club and such suspension shall remain in force until such time as the committee shall have been able to complete an investigation into the circumstances surrounding such alleged conduct and the matter has been considered before a meeting of the committee at which the suspended member may be present.
  26. If the committee shall in their reasonable opinion decide that the conduct of a member shall be such as shall render him unfit for membership of the club the committee shall have power to forthwith terminate the membership of that member or to suspend his membership for a period up to and including a period of six months.
  27. No betting shall be permitted in respect of the club's activities or events.
  28. Members of the club shall use such targets and ammunition as shall be decided upon by the committee and shall pay for them before use.
  29. A range conducting officer of the day shall be appointed by the committee and his decision shall be final in all matters relating to safety and conduct.
  30. It is a condition of membership of the club that the club, its officers and servants will not be held responsible either in tort or negligence or otherwise for any accident incurred by members or visitors.
  31. It shall be a condition of membership of the club that a member shall immediately advise the Hon Secretary or Police Liaison Officer in writing within seven days should he be in receipt of notice from the police or other appropriate authority revoking his Firearm Certificate or should he be involved in any other criminal or civil proceedings relating to firearms or other related matters.
  32. The club shall be affiliated to such other shooting organisations as the committee shall decide is beneficial to the club.
  33. In the event of the club being wound up the property and assets of the club shall not belong to the members of the club but after payment of all just debts and liabilities of the club shall be made over either to the officers for the time being of the National Rifle Association or such other organisation as may be decided by the club at a general meeting.
  34. In this constitution where the context so admits references to the masculine shall include the feminine and references to the singular shall include the plural and vice versa.

 
 
 

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