As agreed 21 June 2016
1. Name and legal status
1.1 The name of the Association shall be ‘Friends of West Ham Park’ (hereinafter FWHP).
1.2 The legal status of FWHP is an Association.
1.3 FWHP is a ‘Not for Profit’ organisation.
2. Aims and objectives
2.1 The primary aim of FWHP is to support the work and activities of the West Ham Park team of the City of London Corporation for the benefit of the community in the local area surrounding the park and anyone with an interest in the park, whether Members of the Association or not.
2.2 The Aims are to be achieved through the following Objectives:
• Assisting in the promotion and use of the parks and gardens for and by the local community;
• Identifying ways in which the biodiversity of green spaces in the park can be enhanced and helping to deliver those improvements and monitoring their effectiveness;
• Applying for funding in order to provide educational and enjoyable activities and events and biodiversity improvements;
• Celebrate the history and heritage of the park; and
• Providing voluntary activities.
2.4 Members will be invited to become involved in activities. The City of London Corporation will support them, where possible, through training, guidance and research.
2.5 Annually, at the Annual General Meeting, the Elected Officials and Organising Committee will propose a Development Plan outlining activities for the year ahead, together with the costs involved and how they recommend these funds be raised. Members will be invited to agree, modify or reject this Plan. It will be circulated to Members in advance. Details will also be posted on the FWHP website.
2.6 The FWHP will publish by electronic media the Constitution, meeting minutes and activities of the Association. Through this Members will be consulted on decisions to be made on such key issues as:
• proposed Annual Subscription Rates (if any);
• proposed Constitutional changes;
• planned fundraising activities;
• dates of planned activities; and
• any matter upon which the Organising Committee is required or desires to consult Members .
2.7 The [Management Committee] shall circulate all responses to Members for further consultation, and the results shall be made known at a subsequent meeting.
3. Powers and General Meetings
3.1 FWHP shall be governed by a Organising Committee that shall be responsible for the conduct of the Association’s affairs in accordance with its Aims and Objectives and its current Development Plan.
3.2 Annual General Meeting
3.2.1 An Annual General Meeting shall be held in June each year, the date, time and place to be determined by the Organising Committee. 3.2.2 Each Annual General Meeting shall be convened by the Secretary who shall notify Members in writing (by email) at least 21 days before the date of that meeting.
3.2.3 Any motion for consideration at the Annual General Meeting must be in the Secretary’s hands no later than 14 days before the date of the meeting.
3.2.4 The business of the Annual General Meeting shall be to:
• confirm the minutes of the previous Annual General Meeting and any other general meetings;
• adopt the annual report and accounts;
• receive the annual report of the Chair;
• elect the Organising Committee and its officers;
• appoint an independent auditor;
• fix the subscription rate (if any);
• transact such other business as may be received in writing (including by email) by the Secretary from Members at least 14 days before the meeting and included on the agenda.
3.2.5 Nominations for the Organising Committee must be submitted to the Secretary at least 14 days before the Annual General Meeting. If there are more nominations than there are vacancies to be filled, an election will be held at the meeting. Each candidate must be proposed by and seconded by separate members of the Association.
3.2.6 Every Member shall be entitled to one vote. Only those Members attending the meeting will be able to vote.
3.2.7 The quorum for both the Annual General Meeting and Special General Meetings shall be at least 8 members of the Association (including elected Officials).
3.2.8 The outgoing Chair shall preside, or, in the Chair’s absence, the outgoing Deputy Chair.
3.2.9 Decisions made at all general meetings shall be by a simple majority of votes from those Members attending the meeting. In the event of equal votes, the Chair shall be entitled to an additional casting vote.
3.3 Special General Meeting
3.3.1 A Special General Meeting may be called by the Chair within 28 days of receiving a written request to do so, signed by 10 or more Members. The request must set out full details of the reasons behind the request. Similarly the Chair may call such a Meeting at the request of a majority of the Organising Committee expressed at a full Organising Committee meeting. 3.3.2 Decisions requiring a vote shall be decided by simple majority of Members present who are eligible to vote. In the event of that vote being tied the Chair shall cast a second vote.
3.4 Organising Committee
The Organising Committee shall consist of the following elected officials and any members who attend
• Chair, who will Chair meetings and formally represent the Association and act as Liaison Officer with the management of West Ham Park and representatives of other organisations.
• Deputy Chair who will generally assist the Chair and fulfill the role and activities of the Chair when required to do so.
• Secretary, who will organise Management Committee meetings and Annual and Special General Meetings, prepare Agendas, keep Minutes and will hold and update the list of Members, including those who have volunteered for one or more project(s).
• Treasurer, who will keep records of the day-to-day use of funds and prepare the annual accounts for scrutiny.
• Events Manager and Educator, who will be responsible, in association and liaison with the management ad staff of the West Ham Park and City of London Corporation, for the development and implementation of FWHP events and educational activities.
• Communications Manager, who will be responsible for holding the Members database, communication with members and organises the preparation and publication of the Association activities and update the website.
3.4.1 The Organising Committee is empowered to co-opt other Members, as necessary, mainly to organise agreed projects.
3.4.2 An individual may undertake more than one of the above roles, if willing to do so.
3.4.3 The post of Chair cannot be held by the same individual for more than three consecutive years. This individual can be re-elected to the post of Chair but only after two other individuals have held the post.
3.4.4 Organising Committee meetings cannot be considered ‘quorate’ unless at least three Management Committee members are present.
3.4.5 A representative of West Ham Park management shall be invited to attend Organising Committee meetings in an advisory capacity.
3.4.6 There shall be a minimum of 4 Organising Committee meetings per year with any number of informal preparation meetings as required. These informal meetings can only recommend decisions to the full Organising Committee, other than details of events planned at an earlier Organising Committee meeting.
3.4.7 The Organising Committee is empowered to use the funds of the Association within any constraints agreed at the previous AGM. All financial decisions involving sums greater than £35 must be agreed at a full Organising Committee Meeting.
4. Membership
4.1 Membership is open to any individual, business or other organisation wishing to join that concurs with the Aims and Objectives of the Association.
4.2 Any decision by the Organising Committee to deny membership must be backed by a resolution passed at a Special or Annual General meeting and be based upon evidence that such person(s) do not concur with the Aims and Objectives of the Association.
4.3 The Annual Subscription (if any) will be agreed at the Annual General Meeting.
The Association may decide to charge different subscriptions for individual or corporate (business or other organisation) members. The subscription becomes payable immediately after the AGM and anyone failing to respond to the request for a subscription within 60 days of its being sent out shall have to reapply for membership.
4.4 Membership rights will be lost between the lapse of Membership and its re-instatement.
5. Principles
5.1 Equal Opportunities:
The Association is open to all that wish to join, so long as they subscribe to, and agree with, the aims and objectives of the Association, regardless of where they live.
5.2 The Association shall be non-party in politics and non-sectarian in religion, and shall represent all Members and manage its affairs regardless of age, gender, ability, religion, political beliefs, race, sexual orientation or marital status.
6. Voting Rights
6.1 Only Members of FWHP are allowed to vote at the Annual or Special General Meetings. Where a membership fee is levied Members whose subscriptions have not been paid by the date of the Annual or Special General Meetings will lose any entitlement to vote.
6.2 Corporate members shall nominate an individual to represent them at the Annual or Special General Meetings. Corporate members will have one vote at Annual or Special General Meetings.
7. Financial Details
7.1 Monies raised from gifts, other donations or grants awarded to the Association and any Membership subscriptions shall be used for the express purposes of pursuing the aims of the FWHP.
7.2 The Organising Committee is empowered to pursue or make application for grants to secure funds to support FWHP’s planned activities and may take whatever steps are necessary to meet the requirements of awarding bodies. No persons representing FWHP shall make or enter into any arrangement with any person or organisation that may incur a financial liability save for those purposes agreed by the Organising Committee as necessary to carry out the objectives of the Association.
7.3 Financial management shall be the responsibility of the Treasurer who will account for any or all income and expenditure and will prepare an annual financial statement for presentation at the AGM. A nominated person who is not part of the committee shall ‘examine’ the accounts annually. Monies will be held in favour of FWHP in a nominated bank account. Only the Treasurer, the Chair, Deputy Chair and one other nominated Elected Official shall have access to the account. Cheques will require the signature of any two nominated signatories before payment or encashment can be made.
7.4 Members of the Organising Committee may claim reasonable out of pocket expenses whilst on business on behalf of the Association. Such expenses must be in aggregate less than £35 and be approved by 2 other members of the Organising Committee.
8. Dissolution
8.1 If the Members resolve to dissolve the Association, the Organising Committee members will remain in office and be responsible for winding up the affairs of the Association according to this clause.
8.2 The Organising Committee members must collect in all the assets of the Association and pay or make provision for all of the liabilities of the Association.
8.3 The Organising Committee members must apply any remaining property or money:
a) Directly for the Objectives;
b) By transfer to any other voluntary organisation for purposes identical or similar to those of the Association;
c) In such other manner as an external organisation may approve in writing in advance.
8.4 The Members may pass a resolution before or at the same time as the resolution to dissolve the Association specifying the manner in which the Organising Committee members are to apply the remaining property or assets of the Association and the Organising Committee members must comply with the resolution if it is consistent with this Constitution.
8.5 In no circumstances shall the net assets of the Association be paid to or distributed among the Members of the Association, except to a ‘Member’ that is itself a Voluntary Organisation or Charity.
8.6 If the Association is to be dissolved, the Organising Committee member must notify the City of London Corporation and any external funding organisations that have provided it with a grant or grants. The Organising Committee members must provide accounts and any other documentation as required by the City of London Corporation or the external funding organisations.
9. Power of amendment
9.1 Amendments to the Constitution may be made only at an Annual or Special General Meeting open to all Members. The Organising Committee must circulate proposed amendments to Members at least 14 days before the Meeting at which they are to be considered. To be approved three quarters of the Members present must agree to a motion supporting the changes.
10. Declaration
The Friends of West Ham Park hereby adopts and accepts this Constitution as a current operating guide regulating the actions of Members.