Constitution for the

Aberdeen & Crathes Croquet Club

 

1.   Title

The Club shall be called “The Aberdeen & Crathes Croquet Club”, hereafter to be referred to as the “Club” and shall become a member of the Scottish Croquet Association.

2.   Aim

To foster and promote the game of Croquet at all levels, providing opportunities for recreation and competition. The games shall be played on the lawn at Crathes Castle, subject to the agreement of the Castle Management, on a lawn at Albury Sports Centre, and on other lawns when available.

3.   Membership

    1. Membership of the Club to be open to any person completing a membership application form and paying the relevant subscription fee as determined by the Annual General Meeting of the Club Members. Membership is open to all, embracing Equality and Diversity. Membership cannot be refused without good reason and then right of appeal exists. Applications can be made at any time and the subscription shall be paid within one calendar month of admission. Membership shall run from 1st April until 31st March next year. New members joining after 1st July would be subject to a reduced subscription as determined by the General Committee of the Club.
    3. There shall be six classes of membership available. These are:
      1. Full Member
      2. Junior Member (Under 16 years of age)
      3. Student Member (In Full Time Education)
      4. Country Member (Non-voting member, whose normal residence is more than 50 miles from Crathes Castle).
      5. Social Member (Non-voting member and non-playing).
      6. Honorary Member, to be approved at an AGM (non-voting, no dues to be paid)

4.   Officers

The officers of the Club shall be as follows:

Club Captain – Executive Officer

Secretary – Executive Officer

Treasurer – Executive Officer

Representative to SCA – Executive Officer

Webmaster

Coaching Convenor

Sponsorship Convenor

5.   Election of Officers

    1. All officers shall be elected at the Annual General Meeting of the Club, from and by, the Full Members of the Club.
    2. All officers are elected for a period of one year, but may be re-elected to the same office or another office the following year.
    3. If an executive officer resigns or dies midway through the year the General Committee have the right to appoint a temporary replacement from the membership of the Club, until the Annual General Meeting.

6.   General Committee

    1. The affairs of the Club shall be controlled by a General Committee comprising the Executive Officers and 4other Full Members of the Club. The General Committee shall meet at agreed intervals and not less than twice per year. It may appoint sub-committees.
    2. The duties of the General Committee shall be:
      1. To control the affairs of the Club on behalf of Members.
      2. To keep accurate accounts of the finances of the Club through the Treasurer. These should be available for reasonable inspection by Members and should be examined by the Financial Examiner before every Annual General Meeting. The Club shall maintain a bank current account and the following Officers shall be authorised to approve payments therefrom, two from the Club Captain, Treasurer and Secretary (and, in the event that the Treasurer and Secretary roles are combined, one other General Committee member agreed by that Committee). To facilitate online banking methods, such approvals may be given electronically (and will be stored by the Treasurer for audit purposes). Join signatures on cheques will not be required.
      3. To co-opt additional members to the Committee as the Committee feels this is necessary. Co-opted members shall not be entitled to a vote on the Committee, unless they have been co-opted to replace a member who has died or resigned. They shall hold office until the next Annual General Meeting
      4. To make decisions on the basis of a simple majority vote. In the case of equal votes, the Chairperson shall be entitled to an additional casting vote.

7.   General Meetings

    1. The Annual General Meeting of the Club shall be held not later than the end of February each year. Twenty-one clear days written notice shall be given to Members of the Annual General Meeting by circulating a copy of the notice to every member by email or at their home address. Members must advise the Secretary in writing by email or by post of any business to be moved at the Annual General Meeting at least 14 days before a meeting. The Secretary shall circulate or give notice of the agenda for the meeting not less than 7 days before the meeting.
    2. The business of the Annual General Meeting shall be to:
      1. Confirm the minutes of the previous Annual General Meeting and any other General Meetings.
      2. Receive the annual report of the Club Captain.
      3. Receive the examined accounts.
      4. Receive the annual report of the Secretary.
      5. Elect a Financial Examiner
      6. Elect the Officers of the Club.
      7. Fix Club subscription rates. A member who has not paid his/her subscription by such default date as the General Committee of the Club prescribes, may at the discretion of the Committee, be deemed to have resigned.
      8. Transact such other business received in writing by the Secretary from members 14 days prior to the meeting and included on the agenda.
      9. Such other business except business for which a Special General Meeting is required (e.g. expulsion, dissolution) as by common consent of the meeting the Chairperson in his/her discretion admits.
      10. Any Other Business. (Members should be encouraged to refer other items to the General Committee and give the required notice for important Annual General Meeting business).
    3. Special General Meetings may be convened by the General Committee or on receipt by the Secretary of a request in writing from not less than 5 Full Members of the Club. At least 21 days’ notice of the meeting shall be given. The business to be considered at the meeting shall be specified in the notice convening the Special General Meeting. The notice to every member will be sent by email or by post to their home address.
    4. Nomination of candidates for election of Officers shall be made by email or in writing to the Secretary in advance of the Annual General Meeting date. Nominations can only be made by Full Members and must be seconded by another Full Member. Nominations may also be taken from the floor at the Annual General Meeting. All nominations shall have the consent of the nominee.
    5. At all General Meetings, the chair will be taken by the Chairperson (Club Captain), or, in their absence, by a deputy appointed by the General Committee of the Club or by the Full Members attending the meeting.
    6. Decisions made at a General Meeting shall be by a simple majority of votes from those Full Members attending the meeting. In the event of equal votes, the Chairperson shall be entitled to an additional casting vote or alternatively at his/her discretion may direct a written poll.
    7. A quorum for a General Committee meeting and an Annual General Meeting shall be Four. At least one of the executive officers of the Club (Club Captain, Secretary, Treasurer or SCA representative) must be present.
    8. Each Full Member of the Club shall be entitled to one vote on any separate issue at General Meetings.

8.   Termination of Membership

A member who is found by vote, carried at a Special General Meeting called in accordance with clause 7.3, to have behaved in a manner likely to bring the Club into disrepute or cause substantial prejudice to it, may be expelled from the Club. Provided that:

  1. a) The resolution must be carried by 4/5th of those attending and voting.
  2. b) This is the only business of the meeting.
  3. c) Before putting the motion to the vote, the member shall have a full opportunity to address the meeting. The member expelled may appeal by notice in writing to the Secretary of the Scottish Croquet Association (SCA) within 14 days, who shall convene a meeting of the Chairperson (or in their absence, the vice Chairperson) of the SCA Executive and 2 members of the SCA Executive who shall decide the appeal and shall not be required to give reasons. Following expulsion, any subscription for the whole of that year that has been paid by the member shall be returned.

9.   Public Liability Insurance

Membership of the Scottish Croquet Association automatically includes the Club in a Public Liability Insurance which provides a third party legal liability insurance with a limit of indemnity of £5m.

10.        Alterations to the Constitution

Any proposed alterations to the Club Constitution may only be considered at an Annual or Special General Meeting convened with the required written notice of the proposal. Any alteration or amendment must be proposed by a Full Member of the Club and seconded by another Full Member. Such alterations shall be passed if supported by not less than 2/3rd of those Full Members present at the meeting and voting, assuming a quorum has been achieved. An abstention shall be recorded but shall not count as a vote.

11.        Dissolution

    1. If at any General Meeting of the Club, a resolution be passed calling for the dissolution of the Club, the Secretary shall immediately convene a Special General Meeting of the Club to be held not less than one month thereafter to discuss and vote on the resolution
    2. If at that Special General Meeting, the resolution is carried by at least 2/3rds of the Full Members present at the meeting and voting, the General Committee shall thereupon, or at such date as shall have been specified in the resolution, proceed to realise the assets of the Club and discharge all debts and liabilities of the Club. Abstentions shall be recorded but shall not count as a vote.
    3. After discharging all debts and liabilities of the Club, the remaining assets shall not be paid or distributed amongst the Full Members of the Club, but transferred to an organisation with similar aims and objectives.

12.        Equality and Diversity Statement

Sports Equity is about making sure that everyone has an equal chance to participate in, and contribute to, sport or physical recreation, if they choose to do so, and that no one is discriminated against unfairly for any reason, including – but not limited to – gender, race, disability, age, religious or political belief, sexual orientation, social background, ethnic origin, language, marital or civil partnership status or pregnancy.

It is also about recognising and acknowledging that inequalities do exist between people in Scottish sport, taking positive and proactive steps to overcome these inequalities, and thus make sure that any barriers standing in the way of people who are traditionally not involved in sport are removed.

Aberdeen & Crathes Croquet Club recognises that research continually indicates that inequalities persist in most aspects of sport and physical recreation including participation, membership, governance, coaching and leadership. The Club has a strong commitment to implementing and promoting The Equity Standard: A framework for sport and establishing a robust equity policy.

13.        Child Protection

Policy, Code of Practice and Procedures.

Note that the 1989 Children’s Act defines children as less than 18 years of age.

Vulnerable Adults: Vulnerable adults are defined as persons over the age of 18 who;

  1. are in need of assistance by reason of mental, physical or learning disability, age or illness who
  2. are unable to take care of themselves or to protect themselves against significant harm or serious exploitation which may be occasioned by the acts or omissions of other people.

References to children in this document should be taken to include vulnerable adults.

Policy Statement

The child’s welfare is paramount and Aberdeen & Crathes Croquet Club is committed to provide a safe place for children. All children have the right to protection from abuse. All suspicions and allegations of inappropriate behaviour will be dealt with.

Recognising Abuse

This section explains briefly what child abuse is, how to recognise it and what to do.

What is child abuse?

Child abuse is a term used to describe ways in which children are harmed, usually by adults.

  1. Physical Abuse: Physical abuse occurs where adults or other children; physically hurt or injure children. Give children noxious substances (e.g. alcohol/drugs).
  2. Neglect: Neglect includes situations in which adults consistently leave children unsupervised. Fail to ensure children are safe or expose them to unnecessary risk or injury.
  3. Sexual Abuse: Children are sexually abused where adults or children use them to meet their own sexual needs. Examples: Unlawful intercourse, inappropriate touching, taking pornographic photographs.
  4. Mental Cruelty: When children are taunted or unnecessarily shouted at. Subjected to undue criticism. Put under unreasonable pressure to perform.
  5. Bullying: May be carried out by adults or other children: Bullying is deliberately hurtful behaviour usually repeated over a period of time. Any child can be a victim of bullying. More usual victims are shy, sensitive, anxious and insecure.

How to recognise if a child is being abused.

It is not always easy to spot when children have been abused. However, typical symptoms would include:

Unexplained or suspicious injuries. Sexually explicit language or actions. A sudden change of behaviour. The child describes an abusive act. The child has a general distrust and avoidance of adults. An unreasonable reaction to normal physical contact.

Scrutiny

All those who are likely to have significant contact with under 18s will be subject to scrutiny. The Aberdeen & Crathes Croquet Club will require from such persons;

  1. A statement indicating whether or not they have any conviction for offences against children.
  2. Information about their past careers or experience so that it can be established independently if there has been any conviction for offences against children.
  3. Their consent to checks being made with Disclosure Scotland.

Prevention of Abuse

This section offers advice aimed at protecting children from abuse and adults from false allegations. The person appointed by Aberdeen & Crathes Croquet Club to manage an activity will point out to parents of under 18s who take part that Aberdeen & Crathes Croquet Club will take every possible care of children but they cannot be in loco parentis.

  1. Good Practice Guide

Opportunities for abuse can be minimised and the Aberdeen & Crathes Croquet Club can be protected against allegations by the use of good practice:

Except for essential training purposes, minimise time spent alone with children. Do not take children to your home. Where these situations are unavoidable, ensure they only occur with the authority of the child’s parents or a responsible Aberdeen & Crathes Croquet Club person.

  1. You should never:

Allow children to use inappropriate language. Make suggestive comments to a child. Do things of a personal nature for children. Engage in physical or sexually provocative games. Engage in inappropriate touching.

What to do if there are allegations of abuse

Where there is an allegation of abuse, there may be 3 types of investigation:

  1. A criminal investigation (Police).
  2. A child protection investigation (Social Work).
  3. A disciplinary or misconduct investigation (Aberdeen & Crathes Croquet Club).

Action if a child complains she/he is being abused.

ALWAYS:

Stay calm – ensure the child is safe and feels secure. Tell the child you are taking the complaint seriously. Be honest; explain you will have to tell somebody else, emphasising that this will be on a need to know basis. Document what the child has said as soon as possible

NEVER:

Rush into actions. Make promises you cannot keep. Ask inappropriate questions. Take sole responsibility.

WHY SHOULD I INTERVENE?

Taking the correct action on abuse is never easy. You may be upset about what the child has said or you may worry about the consequences of your action. One thing is certain: You cannot ignore abuse.

The effects of abuse on children can be devastating.

RECORDING INFORMATION

Record basic information. Do not start an investigation. Remember that unnecessary interviews with a child may prejudice a Police enquiry. Consider environment carefully if recording information. Ensure another adult is present. Avoid touching the child.

While The Aberdeen & Crathes Croquet Club does not have a Child Protection Officer as such, enquiries may be addressed to:

Allan Hawke

Scottish Croquet Association

52 Craiglochart Road

Edinburgh EH14 1HG

E-mail: rahawke@msn.com

Tel. 0131 443 1410

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Updates:

  • amended at the SGM held on 29th November 2014
  • amended at the SGM held on 26th November 2016