1. Name of organisation
The name of the organisation shall be Wild Welford
2. Aims
The aims of Wild Welford are to:
- Create, preserve and enhance wild and green spaces in Welford, Northamptonshire, to improve people’s health and wellbeing, biodiversity and the environment.
- Give everyone in the community the opportunity to be involved and encourage them to do so through education, information and support.
- Work with public and private landowners, including owners and tenants of private gardens, as well as other agencies and groups, to identify physical spaces and other opportunities where the group’s aims can be achieved, including sources of funding for projects.
- Plant trees and carry out landscape work towards the group’s aims, and encourage and support people in the community to do so themselves.
- Create and preserve habitats to maintain and improve wildlife population levels and diversity.
- Build a network of volunteers and supporters to facilitate projects that achieve the group’s aims.
3. Members
3.1 The members of the group at its formation shall be the founders of the group.
3.2 Additional members may be co-opted onto the group with the agreement of members.
3.3 The group will maintain a list of members.
3.4 Members may resign at any time by informing the group.
4. Equal Opportunities
Wild Welford will not discriminate on the grounds of sex, race (including colour, ethnic or national origin), sexual orientation, disability, gender reassignment, religious or political belief, pregnancy or maternity, marital status or age.
5. Officers
The business of the group will be carried out by members who may agree that individual members take on specific roles of officers which may include:
- Chair, who shall chair both the AGM and general meetings
- Secretary, who shall be responsible for the taking of minutes and distribution of papers
- Membership secretary, who shall be responsible for keeping records of members
- Treasurer who shall be responsible for maintaining accounts
6. Meetings
6.1. Annual General Meetings
An Annual General Meeting (AGM) will be held within 15 months of the previous AGM at a date, time and venue to be agreed by the members.
The group will inform all members of the AGM
At the AGM, members will:
- Review the work of Wild Welford over the year.
- Review the accounts of Wild Welford for the previous year.
The quorum for the AGM shall be 75% of the membership.
6.3 General Meetings
General Meetings are open to all members and will be held at least once every 3 months or more often if necessary.
Date, time and venue of meetings will be agreed by members.
The quorum for General Meetings shall be 75% of the membership.
7. Rules of Procedure for meetings
All questions that arise at any meeting will be discussed openly and the meeting will seek to find general agreement that everyone present can agree to.
If a consensus cannot be reached a vote will be taken and a decision will be made by a simple majority of members present. If the number of votes cast on each side is equal, the chair of the meeting shall have an additional casting vote.
8. Finances
An account will be maintained on behalf of the Association at a bank agreed by the members. Three cheque signatories will be nominated. The signatories must not be related nor members of the same household.
All payments will be signed by two of the signatories.
- For cheque payments, the signatories will sign the cheque.
- For other payments (such as BACS payments, cash withdrawals, debit card payments or cash payments), a requisition note will be signed by two signatories, and held on file.
Records of income and expenditure will be maintained by the group and a financial statement given at each meeting.
All money raised by or on behalf of Wild Welford is only to be used to further the aims of the group, as specified in this constitution.
9. Amendments to the Constitution
Amendments to the constitution may only be made at the Annual General Meeting or a Special General Meeting.
Any proposal to amend the constitution will require a two thirds majority of those present and entitled to vote.
10. Dissolution
If a meeting, by simple majority, decides that it is necessary to close down the group it may call a Special General Meeting to do so. The sole business of this meeting will be to dissolve the group.
If it is agreed to dissolve the group, all remaining money and other assets, once outstanding debts have been paid, will be donated to a local charitable organisation. The organisation will be agreed at the meeting which agrees the dissolution.