Legal

Constitution

1) Name. The name of the organisation shall be the South Shields Photographic Society (hereinafter called the ‘Society’).

2) Objects.

The objects of the Society are;
a) To promote, maintain, improve and advance the education of the residents of South Tyneside and the surrounding area (hereinafter called the ‘area of benefit’) in the appreciation, understanding and practice of the arts, particularly the art of photography and allied techniques.
b) To provide facilities in the interest of social welfare for the recreation and leisure time activities to improve the quality of life of the residents of the area of benefit.

3) Powers.

In the furtherance of the objects, but not further to or otherwise the powers of the Committee will be;
a) To organise lectures, discussions, exhibitions and competitions.
b) To raise funds and to invite contributions by any legal means other than permanent trading.
c) To co-operate with other organisations and agencies.
d) To do all such other lawful things as are necessary for the achievement of the object.

4)  Membership.

a) Membership of the Society is open to all residents within the area of benefit who support the objects of the Society upon payment of an annual membership fee.
b) Membership fees will be determined by the Committee and members who are twelve months in arrears will be deemed to have resigned their membership.
c) Members shall inform the Committee in writing if they wish to terminate their membership.
d) The Society shall keep a record of the membership of the Society.
e) The Society reserves the right for good or sufficient reason to terminate the membership of any individual member or members provided that such a member or members have the right to be heard by the said Committee before a final decision is made.
d) A member of the Committee may resign at any time by sending in a letter of resignation to the Secretary or the President or will be deemed to have resigned by default should they not attend three consecutive meetings of the Committee without good or sufficient reason.
e) A quorum shall be one third of the members of the Committee (including at least one officer).
f) Casual vacancies on the Committee may be filled by the Committee by co-opting another member who will hold office until the end of the next Annual Meeting. Co-opted members do not have voting rights.

5) Annual General Meeting.

a) The Annual Meeting of the Society shall be held in the month of May each year or at such other time (not being more than 15 months after the preceding Annual Meeting) as the Committee shall from time to time determine.
b) At the Annual General Meeting the business shall include;
i) Consideration of the Society’s annual accounts.
ii) Election of Committee members for the following year including that of the office of President.
iii) Consideration of a report of the Society’s activities during the previous year.
iv) Election of the Society’s auditors.
v) Discussion of any other matter of which the required notice has been given
c) The Secretary shall give at least 7 clear days’ notice in writing to the members of the date of the meeting and the matters to be discussed.
d) A special meeting of the Society may be held at any time at the request of the Society or at least one third of the membership of the Society. Should such a meeting be requested it must be held within 14 days of the request being made.
e) The quorum at the Annual Meeting shall be one third of the membership including at least one officer.
f) Matters shall be decided by a simple majority vote.
All members shall have one vote cast but in the case of an equality of votes the President shall have a second or casting vote.

6) The Committee.

a) The Committee is the body responsible for the management of the Society.
b) The Committee shall consist of not less than 5 or more than 13 persons elected from the membership of the Society.
c) Members of the Committee are elected annually at the Annual General Meeting and will hold office until the end of the following Annual General Meeting.

7) Committee Procedures

a) The Committee shall meet not less than eight times a year. A special meeting shall be called at any time provided that at least 14 days’ notice has been given.
b) At the last meeting of the Committee following the Annual General Meeting the Committee shall appoint from amongst their number a Vice-President, Secretary and Treasurer and any other honorary officer as shall be deemed appropriate.
c) All questions arising at any meeting shall be decided by a simple majority of members present and voting at a meeting. In the case of equality of votes the President shall have a second or casting vote.
d) The Committee may appoint such sub-committees as shall be deemed necessary and shall determine their duration, composition and terms of reference. Any sub-committees so appointed must report back to the full Committee as soon as possible.
e) The Committee and all sub-committees shall keep minutes of all actions and proceedings and shall ensure safe keeping of all of the Society’s records.
t) The Committee may make rules to govern its activities and proceedings and that of any sub-committees provided that they are not inconsistent with the provisions of this constitution.

8) Nominations for Membership of the Committee.

Any member of the Society who is aged 18 years and over and not otherwise prohibited and wishes to stand for election to the Committee must notify the Secretary at least 14 days before the Annual Meeting.

9) Finance.

i) All funds belonging to or raised for the benefit of the Society must be used only to further the Society’s objects.
ii) A bank account shall be opened in the name of the Society and all monies raised from whatever source shall be paid into the account. There shall be two signatories to the bank account and all cheques must be signed by no less than two signatories.
iii) The Treasurer shall keep a record of all transactions and present regular reports to the members.
iv) Once at least in every year the accounts shall be independently verified by a suitably qualified Person required by statute.

10) Amendments to the Constitution.

The provisions of this constitution may be amended at an Annual Meeting by a resolution passed by a two thirds majority of numbers present provided that no amendments are made which will prevent the Society from pursuing strictly charitable purposes. Any such resolution must be notified to members at the same time as notification of the meeting.
ll) Dissolution
i) The Society may be dissolved at a special meeting called for the purpose at which at least 14 clear days’ notice in writing has been given to all members
ii) The resolution must be passed by a two thirds majority of the members present.
iii) In the event of dissolution the Committee shall be responsible for the orderly winding up of the Society’s affairs.
iv) After the satisfaction of all debts and liabilities the Committee shall transfer any remaining assets to such other organisation or organisations having objects similar to some or all of the objects of the Society.

INTERCLUB COMPETITIONS

Entries to Interclub Competitions are to adhere to current rules in being for the specific competitions.

All members are eligible to enter their work for possible selection for any interclub competition (which may be Prints or Digital Images)

There is however no guarantee your work will be accepted by the Secretary or Selection Committee. There are rules governing interclub competitions that we must adhere to, for example there will always be a limit to the number of pieces of work per member per category. It is also important that the work selected for these competitions is of such a standard that the Society has the best chance of success. This does NOT mean that preliminary workers are exempt from entering.

N.C.P.F. COMPETITIONS

All clubs and societies within the boundaries of the N.C.P.F. (Northern Counties Photographic Federation) and are members of the Federation will be invited to enter their work both as a club entry and as individuals.
Entries to N.C.P.F. COMPETITIONS SHALL ADHERE to the published rules specific for the competition.
The club entry is limited to a set number of images and designated number of those entries may be from one author, but an only a individual can enter a set number of images into various categories for example “Wildlife” “Portraiture” etc There is also a beginners section.
This does not mean that a beginner’s work is not eligible for part of a club entry. The annual championships are announced every year by the competition secretary of the Society or the President when the full rules will be posted or explained at the time. The annual presentation of the awards is usually held around November. Successful images may go on the P.A.G.B. (Photographic Alliance of Great Britain) where the images are seen and exhibited nationally for which there are certificates etc. However it is very important that the NCPF rules are adhered to by individuals, failing to do so could lead to disqualification of the clubs entry and the ensuing embarrassment.

Copyright

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