Junior Mountaineering Club of Scotland Edinburgh Section CONSTITUTION AND RULES [10 th Revision November 2005] 1 Name. 1.1 The Club shall be called "The Junior Mountaineering Club of Scotland [Edinburgh Section]". 2 Objects. 2.1 The objects of the Club shall be to foster the love of mountains, to afford opportunities to its members of acquiring knowledge of all aspects of climbing and mountaineering technique and, in general, to promote the interests of mountaineering in Scotland. 2.2 The spirit of the Club is such that Members will wish to share their experience/abilities with others but each individual does so as an amateur. The Club is not a professional training organisation. No Member may offer professional training under the auspices of the Club. 3 Membership. 3.1 There shall be three grades of Membership of the Club Aspirant Members, Ordinary Members, and Associate Members. 3.2 All grades of membership are open to persons aged eighteen and over. 3.3 New members of the Club are accepted as Aspirant Members. Conditions of membership as an Aspirant Member are: completion of an application form accepting of the Rules and Constitution of the Club, payment of the specified subscription, and registration of that application by the Membership Secretary of the Club or a nominated depute. 3.4 Ordinary Membership is open to Aspirant Members who have held that grade for at least three months, and who fulfil the other conditions of Ordinary Membership. 3.5 To be eligible for the grade of Ordinary Member, the Aspirant must currently be active in outdoor mountaineering and have attended a weekend meet of the Club within the period as Aspirant Member. In addition, the applicant must have climbed with the person either proposing or seconding their application for Ordinary Membership.
3.6 Associate Membership shall be open to members of the Scottish Mountaineering Club. 4 Election of Members. 4.1 Every candidate for admission as an Ordinary Member must be proposed and seconded by two current voting Members. One of the individuals proposing/seconding an application for Ordinary Membership must have been a voting Member in their own right for at least two years. 4.2 Applications for admission shall be made to the Membership Secretary on a form approved by the Committee, and accompanied by payment of the relevant subscription. On receipt of a completed application, the candidate shall be deemed elected, subject to confirmation by the Committee. 4.3 The Committee shall review the membership of Aspirant Members from time to time and may withdraw such membership as it sees fit. 5 Privileges and Duties of Members. 5.1 Only Ordinary Members and Associate Members may avail themselves of the facilities afforded by the Club. 5.2 Aspirant Members may use such club facilities as defined by the Committee from time to time. 5.3 Guests: Ordinary Members and Associate Members are entitled to introduce guests to any of the Meets or Meetings of the Club. Any guest is limited to attending one Meet or Meeting, after which the individual must complete an application for Aspirant Membership. Members attention is drawn to the information in Section 14 concerning limitations of insurance coverage of guests. 6 Subscriptions and Entry Fee. 6.1 Annual Subscriptions shall fall due on 1 November in any year. 6.2 It is a condition of Membership of the Club that the person s subscription is fully paid. 6.3 The Annual Subscription rate(s), and any amendment to the respective due date(s), shall be those approved by the Annual General Meeting of the Club. Different subscription rates may be set for the various grades of membership. 6.4 The Club may impose an Entry Fee payable on joining, in addition to the relevant annual subscription. Such an entry fee shall be as approved by the AGM of the Club. Associate Members shall be exempt from any Entry Fee. 2
7 Resignation of Membership. 7.1 Resignation of Membership of the Club must be intimated in writing to the Membership Secretary not later than 1 December in any Club year; otherwise liability for the year s subscription will be incurred. 7.2 Resignation by Arrears shall be incurred by any Member whose subscription is six months in arrears, who shall be deemed to have forfeited the privileges of membership and to have resigned from the Club. 8. Reinstatement of Membership. 8.1 Those who resign from Ordinary Membership may, at the discretion of the Committee, be reinstated as Ordinary members on payment of the Entry fee in addition to the current annual subscription. 9. Expulsion from Membership. 9.1 A General meeting of the Club shall have the power, by a majority of not less than three quarters of the votes recorded, to expel any member for any cause which the Meeting shall deem sufficient. The proposal to expel a member shall be made only on a motion submitted by the Committee or in pursuance of a requisition made to the Secretary by not less than ten members. 10. Finance. 10.1 Funds of the Club shall be applied in the interests of the Club and in the furtherance of its Objects as the Committee shall decide. 10.2 The Financial Year of the Club shall commence on 1 November and end on the 31 October subsequent thereto. 10.3 Treasurer s Accounts: The Treasurer shall, at the Annual General Meeting, submit accounts for the Financial Year ending on the preceding 31 October. 10.4 Auditor: The Committee shall appoint an Auditor to audit the accounts of the Club in time to be presented to the AGM. 10.5 Liquidator: In the event of the Dissolution of the Club, a Liquidator shall be appointed by the Committee. After meeting all obligations of the Club, any surplus funds shall be divided equally among the Ordinary Members on the roll of the Club at the date of Dissolution. 3
11. Property. 11.1 The Club may acquire and hold heritable property by purchase, feu, lease or otherwise, to be used in furtherance of the Objects of the Club and may sell, let or otherwise dispose of such property, arrangement for its use and management being made by the Committee. In the event of Dissolution of the Club and the disposal of its property, the proceeds of such disposal, if any, shall be dealt with in the terms of Rule 10.5. 11.2 The Trustees for the Club in property transactions shall be: the President, Vice-President, Secretary, and Treasurer for the time being and their successors in office. The holders of these offices shall grant all deeds and documents necessary in subsequent transactions with the property, a majority of such Trustees being a quorum. 12. Committee. 12.1 The affairs of the Club shall be administered by a Committee consisting of at least two Associate Members appointed as Honorary Officials and a maximum of nine and not less than six Ordinary members elected to hold office as President, Vice-President, Secretary, Treasurer or Members of the Committee. The offices of Secretary and Treasurer may be combined. The Committee shall have the power to fill any vacancy arising in their number pending the next Annual General Meeting. Five shall form a quorum. 12.2 Honorary Officials: The Ordinary Members elected to the Committee shall appoint two members of the Scottish Mountaineering Club on the role of Associate Member to the Club, to act in an advisory capacity as Honorary President and Honorary Vice-President. Not more than two additional Honorary Officials may be elected by the AGM from the Associate Membership. 12.3 Members of the Scottish Mountaineering Club shall not be eligible for Membership of the Committee except as Honorary Officials. 12.4 Terms of Committee: The Ordinary Members of the Committee shall be elected at the AGM and shall hold office thereafter until the succeeding AGM. Members shall be eligible for re-election with the exception of the President and Vice-President who shall not be entitled to hold either of these offices for more than two consecutive years. 12.5 Nomination: It shall be the duty of the retiring Committee to propose candidates for the offices of President, Vice-President, Secretary and Treasurer and the Members of the Committee. Notice of the candidates so proposed shall be posted to all members at least two weeks before the date of the AGM. 4
12.6 Counter Nomination: It shall be competent for any two voting Members to propose a candidate for any of the offices mentioned in the preceding rule by giving notice in writing to the Secretary at least one week before the date of the Meeting. Such notice must be accompanied by the consent in writing of the Member so proposed. 12.7 Election: If at the AGM it appears that the numbers of candidates duly proposed as Members of the Committee does not exceed the number of respective vacancies, then the Chairman shall declare the candidate(s) duly elected. If the candidates for any office exceed the number of vacancies the meeting shall forthwith proceed to an election by a show of hands. 13. Meets and Meetings 13.1 Meets and meetings shall, so far as possible, be held at least monthly for the practical and social benefit of Members. Advance Notice of Meets and Meetings shall be given to all Members by the Secretary. 13.2 Annual General meeting: The AGM of the Club shall be held in November or December. At the said Meeting the Committee shall submit its Annual Report and Audited Accounts. 13.3 An Extraordinary General Meeting shall be called by the Secretary on the instruction of the Committee or in pursuance of a requisition to that effect signed by at least ten voting Members and specifying the object for which the Meeting is to be called. The Meeting shall take place within six weeks of the receipt of such requisition by the Secretary. 13.4 Notice for a General Meeting and the purpose for which it is being called shall be posted to all members at least two weeks before the date of the meeting. 13.5 Chairman: The chair at any Meeting of the Club shall be taken by the President or, in his/her absence, by the Vice-President. In the absence of both, the Meeting shall elect a Chairman from the Committee Members present. 13.6 Voting: Only Ordinary Members and Associate Members hold voting rights within the Club. The Chairman at any Meeting shall have, in the case of any equality of votes, a second or casting vote. 13.7 Minutes of general and Committee meetings shall be kept by the Secretary. 14 Personal Responsibilities and Insurance. 14.1 All Members are responsible for their personal safety. Each Member is also personally responsible for making a judgement about whether or not to climb with another individual. 5
14.2 The Club is affiliated to the Mountaineering Council for Scotland [MCofS] and will retain such insurance arrangements as required by the MCofS. 15. Dissolution of the Club. 15.1 A General meeting of the Club shall have the power to dissolve the Club. The proposal to dissolve shall be made only upon a motion submitted to the Committee, or in pursuance of a requisition made to the secretary and signed by not less than ten Members or by two thirds of the existing Members, whichever is the less. Voting on such a proposal shall require a majority of not less than five sixths of the votes recorded, with a minimum recorded votes of not less than two thirds of all the Ordinary Members on the roll of the Club at the time of the vote. Ordinary Members not present may vote by letter. Notice of the proposal to dissolve the Club shall be posted to all Members at least four weeks before the date of the meeting. 15.2 In the event of dissolution of the club any assets remaining after settlement of all debts and liabilities shall not be paid or distributed amongst members but shall be given or transferred to a recognised charitable organisation(s) having similar objects to those of the club. 16. Amendment to Rules. 16.1 A General Meeting of the Club shall have the power to alter or add to these Rules by a majority of two thirds of the votes recorded. Notice of such proposed alteration or addition shall be posted to all Members at least four weeks before the date of the Meeting. 17. General. 17.1 The Committee shall have the power to take steps not herein specified which are deemed necessary to fulfil the Objects of the Club. 18. Commencement. 18.1 These Rules cancel all previous Rules and amendments thereof and take effect from 20 November 2005. 6