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All club matters including: aims, meetings, resolutions and amendments, Committee election & termination, finance & website.

Constitution

The following document was voted approved at the February 2006 AGM.

1. Name

The name of the club shall ‘South Coast Bears Bournemouth‘, which may be abbreviated to SCBB or SC Bears Bournemouth (hereinafter referred to as ‘the club’). The title SCBears may be used in conjunction with the Club’s website.

2. Aims

The aims of the club are:

a. To provide a social club for gay and bisexual men who broadly identify themselves as bears, cubs, admirers and their friends.

b. To promote and champion the cult of the bear/cub within the wider gay community within the Bournemouth and South Coast area.

c. To help promote and campaign on lesbian and gay issues as deemed appropriate.

d. To promote a recognized charity decided by the current committee.

3. Membership

There is no membership requirement.

4. General meetings

The sovereign body of the club shall be the General Meeting, hereinafter provided.

a. Annual General Meeting:

i. There shall be an Annual General Meeting to be held in January, at a date to be decided by the Committee.

ii. Notice of the Annual General meeting will be distributed to members not later than six weeks prior to the date of the meeting.

iii. The Annual General Meeting shall receive reports from the Secretary, Treasurer and such officers and Committee members as determined by the Annual General Meeting from time to time.

iv. The Annual General Meeting shall consider all resolutions, issues of policy, constitutional amendments, subscription rates and all issues concerning the club.

v. The Annual General Meeting shall elect officers and members of the Committee, and Auditors.

vi. Voting shall be by show of hands (except for committee elections) and decisions shall require a simple majority of those present and voting, except for constitutional amendments where a two-thirds majority of those present and voting will be required.

vii. Only full members of the group attending the AGM shall be entitled to speak and vote. In the case of equality of votes the President shall have a casting vote. Associate members may speak at the discretion of the president.

b. Special General Meeting

i. Special general meetings may be called by the Committee or members representing at least 25% of the full members.

ii. Notice period for Special General Meetings shall be determined by the Committee, taking into account the urgency of the issue, but in any case with sufficient notice to allow members to attend.

iii. Only business for which the meeting was called may be discussed.

iv. Voting shall be by show of hands and decisions shall require a simple majority of those present and voting, except for constitutional amendments where a two-thirds majority of those present and voting will be required.

v. Only full members of the group attending the SGM shall be entitled to speak and vote. In the case of equality of votes the President shall have a casting vote. Associate members may speak at the discretion of the president.

5. Resolutions and constitutional amendments.

a. Resolutions and constitutional amendments may be submitted on behalf of the Committee, or by individual full members.

b. Resolutions and amendments must be proposed and seconded.

c. Resolutions and amendments must be submitted in accordance with the timetable determined by the Committee, which shall be published with the General Meeting notice.

d. The quorum of the General meetings shall be 10.

6. The committee

a. The committee shall consist of not less than three and not more than nine full members, and shall consist of a President, Secretary, Treasurer and up to six lay members.

b. The committee shall be charged with running the club between General Meetings, in accordance with this constitution and policy as decided by the General Meeting.

c. The committee shall remain in post from the close of the AGM at which they were elected to the close of business of the following AGM.

d. The Secretary shall call for nominations for the committee at the same time as the notice for Annual General meetings. The election timetable shall be determined by the committee.

e. The committee shall meet as necessary, in any case not less than every two months.

f. Election of a new committee:

i. All committee positions must be re-elected at the AGM.

ii. All positions must be proposed and seconded.

iii. If positions are unopposed then they are assumed without vote.

iv. Voting is by show of hands of full members at the AGM with no postal votes.

v. The winner is that person with the most votes.

g. Termination of a committee member from the committee:

i. A request for a vote of no confidence must be made in writing by at least two members of the committee

ii. The committee member in question must be given the right to formulate a response to the request

iii. An extraordinary meeting must be called to discuss only the matter of the member in question and must be attended by ALL the committee except the member who is in question

iv. The decision to remove a committee member must be by unanimous decision of the remainder of the committee.

v. The decision of the committee must be relayed to the committee member in question by writing.

7. Finance

a. The financial year shall run from 1st February -31st January.

b. A bank/building society account shall be opened in the name of the club and cheques thereon signed by the treasurer and one of three other committee members determined by the committee.

c. All monies collected by the club through subscriptions and other forms of income, and documents relating to finance shall be the property of the club.

d. Auditors:

ii. Auditors shall audit the clubs accounts and where there is a contested election for a committee post, they shall act as scrutinizers.

8. Website

a. The website to be kept up to date as regularly as possible.

b. Advertising on our website will be free to those who support our club and offer financial and supportive benefits to any of our events, but will incur an administrative cost to be determined by the committee for those who do not wish to support the club in a continued manner.

9. Dissolution

The club shall only be dissolved by a decision of a Special General Meeting at which the resolution for the dissolution will require approval, on a vote of four-fifths of those full members present. In the event of dissolution any monies remaining shall not be distributed among member, but shall be given to a charity determined by Special General meeting.