TELFORD BARBERSHOP HARMONY CLUB CONSTITUTION AND RULES

TELFORD BARBERSHOP HARMONY CLUB CONSTITUTION AND RULES APPROVED AT EGM 23/07/13 CHARITY NUMBER 1138326 1

TELFORD BARBERSHOP HARMONY CLUB CONSTITUTION 1. Name The name of the Club shall be Telford Barbershop Harmony Club hereinafter referred to as the Club. The Club chorus shall be known as The Telfordaires Chorus. 2. Objects The objects of the Club shall be: (i) to advance, improve, develop and maintain public education in, and appreciation of, the art and science of music in all its aspects by any means the trustees see fit, including through the presentation of public concerts and recitals; and (ii) to further such charitable purpose or purposes as the trustees in their absolute discretion shall think fit but in particular through the making of grants and donations. 3. Membership Membership of the Club shall be open to any person interested in furthering the objects of the Club, and who have paid the annual subscription at the appropriate rate or rates as shall be determined by a General Meeting, all subscriptions being payable monthly in advance. The Management Team has the power to terminate the membership of any individual, provided that the decision of the Management Team (with the exception of (i) the individual concerned if a member of the Management Team and (ii) any member of the Management Team making or connected with the complaint against the individual) is unanimous both as to the termination and as to there being good reason for it, and provided that the individual concerned shall have a right to be heard by the Management Team, accompanied by a friend if desired, before a final decision is made. 4. Officers and Management Team The management of the Club shall be in the hands of a Management Team consisting of the following Officers: Chairman, Vice Chairman, Administrative Secretary, Treasurer, Public Relations Officer and Membership Secretary. The officers shall be elected by and out of the Club s members at an Annual General Meeting and shall assume office at the Annual General Meeting. They shall hold office until the next Annual General Meeting and be eligible for reelection. Each officer can serve for a maximum of 2 years in a particular role, after which they would automatically stand down. If there is no other nomination, they would continue to serve on a yearly basis if nominated and seconded in the normal manner. The Management Team are the charity trustees. A Musical Director shall be elected by the members at an Annual General Meeting and shall assume office at the Annual General Meeting. The Musical Director shall hold office for 2 2

years and be eligible for re-election. The Musical Director shall not be a member of the Management Team but shall be entitled to receive notice of and attend all Management Team meetings except where his/her position is being considered. The Musical Director shall not be one of the charity s trustees. If any casual vacancy arises in the position of any officer of the Club then the Management Team may elect a member to fill that position until the next following Annual General Meeting. 5. Management All the arrangements for concerts and other events and the control of finance shall be in the hands of the Management Team. 6. Powers In furtherance of the objects but not otherwise the Management Team may exercise the following powers: (i) (ii) (iii) (iv) (v) (vi) (vii) power to raise funds and to invite contributions provided that in raising funds the Management Team shall not undertake any substantial trading activities and shall conform to any relevant requirements of the law; power to buy, take on lease or exchange any property necessary for the achievement of the objects and to maintain and equip it for use; power subject to any consents required by law to borrow money and to charge all or part of the property of the Club with repayment of the money borrowed; power to co-operate with other charities, voluntary bodies and statutory authorities operating in furtherance of the objects or of similar charitable purposes and to exchange information and advice with them; power to establish or support any charitable trusts, associations or institutions formed for all or any of the objects; power to appoint and constitute such advisory committees as the Management Team may think fit; power to do all such other lawful things as are necessary for the achievement of the objects. 7. Meetings and Proceedings of the Management Team (i) The Management Team shall hold at least 4 ordinary meetings each year. A special meeting may be called at any time by the Chairman or by any 2 members of the Management Team, upon not less than 4 days notice being given to the other members of the Management Team of the matters to be discussed. 3

(ii) (iii) (iv) (v) (vi) (vii) The Chairman shall act as chairman at meetings of the Management Team. If the Chairman is absent from any meeting, the members of the Management Team present shall choose one of their number to be chairman before any other business is transacted. There shall be a quorum when at least 4 members of the Management Team are present at the meeting. Except as described in the sentence following, every matter shall be determined by a majority of votes of the members of the Management Team present and voting on the question, but in the case of equality of votes, the chairman of the meeting shall have a second or casting vote. If there are less than 5 members of the Management Team present, for any decision at that meeting to be valid and binding, it will require at least 3 members to vote in favour in order for the item to be accepted and the chairman of the meeting shall not have a second or casting vote. Items having insufficient support may be held over to the next Management Team meeting. The Management Team may appoint one or more teams, consisting of any number of the Club s members for the purpose of making any enquiry or supervising or performing any function or duty which, in the opinion of the Management Team, would be more conveniently undertaken or carried out by a separate team: provided that all acts and proceedings of any such team shall be fully and promptly reported to the Management Team based on the requirements of the Management Team. The Management Team shall keep minutes of the proceedings at meetings of the Management Team and any other team, and shall ensure that these are stored safely, and that they are available for inspection as required. The Management Team may from time to time make and alter rules for the conduct of their business, the summoning and conduct of their meetings, and the custody of documents. No rule may be made which is inconsistent with this constitution. 8. Equal Opportunities No individual shall be excluded from membership of the Club or de-barred from any official capacity on the Management Team on the grounds of race, colour, age, religion, sexual orientation, disability or political affiliation. 9. Finance (i) (ii) The financial year shall end on 30 June. A banking account shall be opened in the name of the Club and cheques shall be signed by any two of the Chairman, Administration Secretary and Treasurer. Payments made by electronic transfer shall be authorised in writing by any two 4

of the Chairman, Administration Secretary and Treasurer before the electronic payment is made. (iii) (iv) The Club shall receive donations, grants in aid and financial guarantees. Tickets for any or all of its concerts and other events shall be offered for sale to the public. The income and property of the Club whencesoever derived shall be applied towards promoting the objectives of the club as set forth above and no portion thereof shall be paid or transferred either directly or indirectly to any member or members of the Club except in payment of legitimate expenses incurred on behalf of the Club. 10. Annual General Meeting Members shall be summoned to an Annual General Meeting to be held in July or August of each year of which at least 14 days notice in writing (which includes transmission by electronic means) shall be given to all members. The Management Team shall present to each Annual General Meeting the report and accounts of the Club for the preceding year. Nominations for election to the Management Team must be made by members of the Club in writing and must be in the hands of the Administration Secretary at least 7 days before the Annual General Meeting each year for the purpose of considering them. Should nominations exceed vacancies, an election shall be held. 11. Extraordinary General Meeting An Extraordinary General Meeting of which at least 14 days notice in writing (which includes transmission by electronic means) must be given to members, may be called for by the Management Team or upon written request to the Administration Secretary by at least 10 members of the Club. The notice must state the business to be discussed. 12. Procedure at General Meetings The Administration Secretary or other person specially appointed by the Management Team shall keep a full record of proceedings at every general meeting of the Club. There shall be a quorum when at least 10% of the members of the Club or 10 members, whichever is the greater, are present at any general meeting. 13. Accounts The financial accounts shall be audited or examined only to the extent required by statute and then submitted to the members at the Annual General Meeting. 5

14. Alterations to the Constitution The constitution may be altered by a two-thirds majority of the members present and voting at any General Meeting, provided that fourteen days notice of the proposed alteration has been sent to all members and provided that nothing herein contained shall authorise any amendment which shall have the effect of the Club ceasing to be a charity. No amendment may be made to clause 1 (the name of the charity), clause 2 (the objects), clause 9(iv) (distribution of assets), or clause 15 (dissolution), without the prior written consent of the Charity Commission. The Management Team shall send the Charity Commission a copy of any amendment made under this clause. 15. Dissolution In the event of the Club being wound up, any assets remaining upon dissolution after payment of proper debts and liabilities shall be transferred to a charitable institution having similar objectives to those of the Club. 6

TELFORD BARBERSHIP HARMONY CLUB RULES The trustees approve the following as Rules of the Club with the provisos that: (a) no rule shall be inconsistent with, or shall affect or repel anything contained in, the Constitution of the Club, and (b) these rules may be altered, added to or repealed by a two-thirds majority of members present and voting at any General Meeting of the Club, providing that fourteen days notice of the proposed alteration has been sent to all members. 1. Mission Statement To be a leading Barbershop Harmony club with a high reputation at local, national and international level for harmony singing and audience entertainment. Our Aims: Within the Club, the main performing unit is the chorus known as The Telfordaires Chorus, but we also encourage quartets and other sizes of performing units as dictated by the needs of our members and customers. In the context of our Mission Statement, we aim to provide: For our customers (audiences): Value for money entertainment. For our members: A sense of enjoyment, fulfilment, achievement and friendship; Opportunities for training to improve their own personal performance; Opportunities to enjoy Barbershop and harmonious singing to whatever level each member desires. For the world at large: To be ambassadors for the Barbershop style of music. 2. Membership 2.1 Membership of the Club shall be open to both sexes, although in accordance with British Association of Barbershop Singers rules, only males shall be singing members. 2.2 Any person that wishes to join the Club as a singing member will first be presented with a welcome booklet and pack from the Membership Secretary which details the activities of the Club and likely expenses involved. During the first week or two as a visitor, the visitor will be assessed by the Musical Director or his/her assistant to determine suitability for membership. On successful completion of this assessment, the 7

visitor will be offered Club membership as a singing member and the opportunity to join the British Association of Barbershop Singers. The Treasurer will request the appropriate monies required to cover subscriptions. Singing members shall have one vote each in General Meetings. 2.3 Singing members with limited practice attendance will only take an active part in any performance at the discretion of the Musical Director. If a singing member is required to attend any activity of the Club in order for that activity to function, then he is entitled to receive reimbursement of travel costs, the amount of which will be decided by the Management Team. If a Club quartet is specifically requested for a Telfordaires Chorus sing-out and is relied upon to make the sing-out viable, then a share of the fee received would, on request from the quartet, be paid to the quartet, the amount of which will be decided in negotiation with the Management Team. 2.4 Singing members shall be issued with the appropriate uniforms, music and other property and shall be responsible for the care and safe keeping of the same. All such property must be returned to an appropriate official upon resignation or upon request of the Management Team. The singing member will pay a deposit of 40 to the Club on receipt of a uniform and this will only be refunded by the Club when the property is returned to the Club in a satisfactory condition. 2.5 Spouses/partners of singing members are automatically entitled to be honorary members. Honorary members, whether male or female, shall be equally eligible for official positions, and any member of the Management Team, whether male or female, shall be entitled to full voting rights on any issues at Management Team meetings. Non-singing members who are not officers of the Club shall have no voting rights. Honorary members, whether male or female, shall have no voting rights at General Meetings. 2.6 At an Annual General Meeting, an individual that has provided exceptional service to the Club over a long period, but is no longer active within the Club, may be nominated as a life member. Life members, whether male or female, shall have no voting rights at General Meetings. 2.7 Honorary and life membership shall be reviewed at each Annual General Meeting. 2.8 Notice of resignation from the Club by any member will be made in writing to the Administration Secretary who will notify the Management Team as soon as possible. The Membership Secretary will advise British Association of Barbershop Singers of the cancellation of membership. All dues to the Club and to British Association of Barbershop Singers to the date of resignation must be paid in full. 3. Subscriptions 3.1 The membership subscriptions are: Singing member aged less than 15 years old Free membership Singing member aged 15 25 years old 6.00 per month Singing member aged 26 years old and over 12.00 per month Honorary member Free membership Life member Free membership 8

3.2 A singing member who is also a member of another club and pays his British Association of Barbershop Singers subscription shall be entitled to a refund of an amount equal to the British Association of Barbershop Singers subscription at the end of each 12 month period of membership of the Club. 3.3 The Management Team has the discretion to waive any member s subscription, in whole or in part, for any period in appropriate circumstances. 4. Management Team 4.1 The roles and responsibilities of each officer shall be determined by the Management Team and a written statement of these shall be available to the Club members. 4.2 The Management Team shall determine the remuneration, if any, of the Musical Director. No Club trustee shall receive any remuneration 5. Music Team 5.1 Following the election of the Musical Director at the Annual General Meeting, the Musical Director will invite a number of people to join the Music Team. 5.2 A typical composition of the Music Team would be as follows: Musical Director Assistant Musical Director/s Section Leaders (x 4) Assistant Section Leaders (x 4) Librarian Coach/s More than one of the above roles may be carried out by a single individual. If any casual vacancy arises in the composition of the Music Team, the Musical Director will fill the vacacy at his/her discretion. 5.3 The role of each member of the Music team is as follows: (a) Musical Director To chair the Music Team To achieve a consistently high quality of singing from the Chorus To make decisions on what material to learn, and what musical interpretation to implement with songs in the repertoire To coach the Chorus and individuals, in order to sustain improvement To help Section Leaders to achieve their goals To plan Chorus rehearsal nights To plan Chorus goals and targets 6 months in advance To direct the Chorus 9

To co-ordinate teach tape production To appraise voices of new and existing singing members, and advise them of which voice part would be most suitable (b) Assistant Musical Director/s As above, in the absence of the Musical Director, or as requested (c) Section Leaders To coach members of their section To help with production of teach tapes To highlight areas of weakness within the section, and implement ways of rectifying them (d) Assistant Section Leaders As above in the absence of the Section Leader and to assist as requested (e) Librarian To keep account of all music owned by the Club To ensure no music is taken without permission To purchase music as and when approved and required To ensure that all music used by the Club has appropriate copy write approval. To ensure that visitors are issued with guest music folder for rehearsal evening (which is collected at end of rehearsal) (f) Coach/s To assist the Musical Director in the development of the chorus singing and / or presentation skills. There may be one or more people appointed to this position depending on their skills and the needs of the chorus. 6. Show Team 6.1 Following the election of the Management Team at the Annual General Meeting, the Management Team will invite a number of the Club s members to join the Show Team. During the year, the Management Team may add additional Club members to the Show Team as appropriate. The Show Team will include a member of the Management Team who shall be Show Chairman. 6.2 The Show Team will nominate a Show Secretary from within its own membership. 6.3 The Show Team shall be responsible for sing outs, own shows and local competitions, as follows: (i) Sing outs: To follow up enquiries from organisations and individuals for sing outs and local competitions To establish customer requirements and agree feasibility and negotiate fees To provide clients with booking forms and receive deposits 10

To establish chorus availability of members to attend sing outs To confirm availability and fees with client To establish location and venue details (including site visit if appropriate) To liaise with Logistics Team regarding risers, props and stage wear. To liaise with Musical Director to provide chorus with full details of repertoire and locations, timings etc To ensure receipt of agreed fees and pass to Treasurer To maintain records of sing out contacts and activities To notify Promotion Team on updates to the website Events Page (ii) Own shows: To liaise with the Musical Director to establish whether or not the Chorus will organise a concert. To make arrangements for the concert, including all bookings. To make arrangements for concert promotion, ticket sales and programmes To liaise with Logistics Team regarding risers, props and stage wear. (iii) Local competitions: To liaise with the Musical Director to establish whether or not the Chorus will enter a local competition. To make arrangements for entering the competition, including all bookings and necessary accommodation. To liaise with Logistics Team regarding risers, props and stage wear. 6.4 The Show Team s activities will be fully and promptly reported to the Management Team by the Show Chairman based on the requirements of the Management Team. 7. Convention Team 7.1 Following the election of the Management Team at the Annual General Meeting, the Management Team will invite a number of the Club s members to join the Convention Team. During the year, the Management Team may add additional Club members to the Convention Team as appropriate. The Convention Team will include a member of the Management Team who shall be Convention Chairman. 7.2 The Convention Team will nominate a Convention Secretary from within its own membership. 7.3 The Convention Team shall be responsible for all arrangements for the Chorus s attendance at the BABS annual convention, as follows: Liaise with the Musical Director to establish whether or not the Chorus will compete at the next convention and ensure the Chorus is entered before the deadline as necessary. Make arrangements for all convention rehearsals, including those at convention. Liaise with Logistics Team regarding props and stage wear. 11

Establish the accommodation requirements of Club members, make bookings and collect monies from members to cover cost. Ensure Club members complete convention registration procedure. 7.4 The Convention Team s activities will be fully and promptly reported to the Management Team by the Convention Chairman based on the requirements of the Management Team. 8. Logistics Team 8.1 Following the election of the Management Team at the Annual General Meeting, the Management Team will invite a number of the Club s members to join the Logistics Team. During the year, the Management Team may add to the Logistics Team as appropriate. The Logistics Team will include a member of the Management Team who shall be Logistics Chairman. 8.2 The Logistics Team will nominate a Logistics Secretary from within its own membership. 8.3 The Logistics Team shall be responsible for all logistical arrangements for rehearsal nights, sing outs, concerts and convention, as follows: Risers, sound and other equipment Property cabin Stage props and costumes Club clothing and shoes, including walk out, stage and casual wear. 8.4 The Logistics Team s activities will be fully and promptly reported to the Management Team by the Logistics Chairman based on the requirements of the Management Team. 9. Promotion Team 9.1 Following the election of the Management Team at the Annual General Meeting, the Management Team will invite a number of the Club s members to join the Promotion Team. During the year, the Management Team may add to the Promotion Team as appropriate. The Promotion Team will include a member of the Management Team who shall be Promotion Chairman. 9.2 The Promotion Team will nominate a Web Master from within its own membership. 9.3 The Promotion Team shall be responsible for promoting the Club s activities to encourage membership recruitment and retention, sing outs bookings and a good public profile for the Club. 9.4 The Public Relations Officer shall work with the Promotion Team to: Organise production and distribution of cost effective advertising to promote club activities. Ensure all members have a regular supply of chorus business cards and other appropriate literature Provide a supply of marketing literature at all sing outs and other appropriate functions/events Maintain a list of local contacts who can be used for local advertising 12

Maintain an information pack for above contacts and to ensure that it is distributed to them Actively promote the chorus with a range of organisations and events, to encourage both recruitment and sing outs Encourage Club members to do the same 9.5 The Web Master shall work with the Promotion Team to: Agree design and build, and to maintain the Chorus website, which is primarily designed to encourage both recruitment and sing outs Ensure that website content provides information and promotes club activities to the general public in line with the message being delivered by the Promotion Team Ensure that the website provides information, communication and reference data to the membership as agreed with the Management Team To update the website as required by other Teams To maintain a list of members current email addresses To create and maintain email forwarding to telfordaires.co.uk email addresses To update the News Page in line with current activities To maintain original, and secure, backup copies of all vital club and membership reference data and documentation published on the website 9.6 The Promotion Team s activities will be fully and promptly reported to the Management Team based on the requirements of the Management Team. 10. Child Protection 10.1 The Club believes that it is always unacceptable for a child or young person to experience abuse of any kind and recognises its responsibility to safeguard the welfare of all children and young people under the age of eighteen by a commitment to practise which protects them. This is laid out in the Telford Barbershop Harmony Club Child Protection Policy Statement. This statement shall be affirmed and renewed at each Annual General Meeting of the Club. 10.2 It is now a mandatory requirement of our Public Liability Insurance provider that all Clubs affiliated to British Association of Barbershop Singers have a Child and Young Person Protection Policy, and most organisations that we deal with require us to be able to demonstrate that we have a system for protecting children and young people. That policy is stated below. 10.3 We have a responsibility to nominate a person or persons to be responsible for dealing with any concerns about the protection of children or young persons. That nomination is listed with the Club officers. The nominated person (The Child Protection Officer) is responsible for acting as a source of advice on child protection matters, for coordinating action within the club and for liaising with other agencies about suspected or actual cases of child abuse. The nominated person may be responsible for implementing child protection training within the club. 13

10.4 Policy Statement. We believe that it is always unacceptable for a child or young person to experience abuse of any kind and recognise our responsibility to safeguard the welfare of all children and young people under the age of eighteen, by a commitment to practice which protects them. We recognise that: the welfare of the child/young person is paramount. all children regardless of age, disability, gender, racial heritage, religious belief, sexual orientation or identity have the right to equal protection from all types of harm or abuse. working in partnership with children, young people, their parents, carers and other agencies is essential in promoting young peoples welfare. The purpose of the policy : to provide protection for the children and young people who are involved with the activities of the club, including the children of adult members. to provide members with guidance on the procedures they should adopt in the event that they suspect a child or young person may be experiencing, or be at risk of, harm. This policy applies to all Members, including Officers, Chorus Directors or anyone involved in the activities of the Club. We will endeavour to safeguard children and young people by: valuing them, listening to and respecting them. adopting child protection guidelines through procedures and a code of conduct for our Club and members sharing information about child protection and good practice with children, parents and members. sharing information about concerns with agencies who need to know, and involving parents and children appropriately. We are also committed to reviewing our policy and good practice annually. 14