Constitution

Constitution of Exmouth Photo Group

1. The name of the club shall be the “Exmouth Photo Group”, hereinafter referred to as EPG.

Objectives

2. The object of EPG shall be to develop the skills, knowledge and appreciation of all aspects of photography which may be promoted by demonstrations, discussions, talks by members and visiting photographers and by means of competitions, both amongst the members and with others.

3. In accordance with the ethos of EPG all members are expected to be active photographers. They should be prepared to support EPG by participating in competitions, projects, portfolios, practical sessions, exhibitions, etc. and are encouraged to undertake the production of their own images.

Management

4. Management of EPG shall be in the hands of a Committee consisting of a Chairperson, Immediate Past-chairperson, Vice-chairperson, Hon. Secretary, Hon. Treasurer, two Competition Secretaries, Programme Secretary and one Additional Member, plus up to two members co-opted as deemed necessary.

5. The Immediate Past-chairperson shall be the most recent past Chairperson of EPG. If the Immediate Past-chairperson is not available then the position shall remain vacant.

6. The Additional Member shall be a member who has joined the Group within the previous four years. Qualifying members of EPG shall be encouraged to stand for the position. This role is intended to bring a fresh perspective to the committee, and to provide support to newer members of EPG.

7. If any Committee member fails to attend three consecutive committee meetings without reasons acceptable to the Committee, he or she may be deemed to have resigned from the Committee.

8. The activities and meetings of EPG shall be determined by the Committee and published in the form of Winter (indoor) and Summer Programmes. The management and organisation of Club Competitions shall be as detailed in the “Rules for Competitions” which may be amended as deemed desirable by the Committee, subject to consultations and communication with members.

9. The Committee shall normally meet at such times as business demands. A quorum shall consist of four of the above committee members, which shall include either the Chairperson or Vice-chairperson, who shall chair the meeting in the absence of the Chairperson.

10. The Committee shall have the power to appoint sub-committees or working groups to deal with specific matters and shall, at its discretion, authorise co-option of members to such bodies. The Chairperson of EPG shall be entitled to attend and vote at any such sub-committee or working group.

11. The property of EPG shall be vested in the Committee and shall only be loaned or hired to third parties at the discretion of the Committee.

Membership

12. EPG shall consist of Honorary Members, Full Members and Junior Members as defined below:

12.1 Honorary Member: a person who has either given long or special service to EPG or has achieved distinction in the field of photography and has been nominated for this category of membership by the Committee.

12.2 Full Member: a person who has attained the age of 18. A Full Member shall have the right of access to EPG’s assets, facilities and activities and shall have voting rights.

12.3 Junior Member: a member under the age of 18 having the same rights as a Full Member.

12.4 Full Members 24 years of age or younger who are students or not in full-time employment may be eligible to pay the equivalent of the Junior Member subscription rate at the Committee's discretion.

13. If the Committee considers that there are reasonable and practical grounds for doing so, it may impose a limit on the number of members of EPG during any particular period. This may apply for example, but not be confined to, restrictions on the use of premises.

14. Names, addresses and contact details of all members are held on computer files, together with details of competition results, etc. No such information will be passed to third parties unless agreed by the member concerned.

Applications for Membership

15. Membership of EPG is open to all persons without discrimination and any person who pursues or wishes to pursue an active interest in photography may apply for the appropriate category of membership (other than that of Honorary Member). The application shall be made on an Application Form as approved by the Committee and countersigned by a Committee member.

16. The successful applicant shall be admitted to membership of EPG within the appropriate category immediately upon payment of the subscription (or the relevant pro rata proportion) applicable in accordance with clauses 19 to 23.

17. An application for membership may be refused if there are reasonable grounds to believe that the conduct or the character of the applicant would be likely to bring EPG into disrepute if he or she were to become a member. The Committee shall be empowered to terminate the membership of an existing member on similar grounds and any member whose membership is so terminated shall be entitled to a pro-rata refund of any subscription paid by him or her. Membership may also be refused in accordance with Clause 13, in which event details of the applicant may, if they so wish be placed on a waiting list until a vacancy occurs or the Committee has removed or raised the imposed limit.

18. Any person whose application for membership is refused or whose membership is terminated may appeal in writing against that decision to the Committee, for which purpose a quorum of the Committee shall consist of the Chairperson or Vice-chairperson (who shall chair the meeeting in the absence of the Chairperson) and four other members of the Committee. The appeal shall be considered by the Committee within one month of receipt and the applicant shall be informed of the Committee’s decision as soon as practicable.

EPG Representation

19. The Committee may appoint any member to represent EPG in whatever capacity in any organisation which has as one of its principal objects the promotion of photography.

Subscriptions

20. The annual subscription rate for Full Members shall be determined by the Committee and put to the vote at the Annual General Meeting held prior to commencement of the subscription year.

21. The subscription rate for Junior Members shall be approximately 40% of the rate for Full Members, closely rounded, as advised by the Committee.

22. All subscriptions shall be due at the commencement of the annual indoor programme (normally September to April – ‘the subscription year’) but any person admitted to membership during the subscription year shall be liable to pay only a pro-rata amount of the relevant subscription determined in accordance with the number of months remaining in that year.

23. An Honorary Member shall not be liable to pay any annual subscription.

24. The Financial Year of EPG shall run from August 1st to July 31st.

Group Accounts

25. A Bank or Building Society account shall be maintained in the name of EPG into which all revenue of the Club shall be paid and from which withdrawals shall only be made on the signatures of the Hon. Treasurer or Hon. Secretary. A deposit account or accounts may also be maintained at the discretion of the Committee.

26. The Books of Accounts shall be kept by the Hon. Treasurer and shall be examined by such person as may be appointed as Examiner for this purpose by the members at an Annual General Meeting. At the next Annual General Meeting following the financial year to which the accounts relate the Examiner shall make a report to the members on the accounts as examined by him/her certifying whether they are correct and stating whether in his/her opinion they give a true and fair view of the financial position of the Club.

General Meetings

27. General Meetings of the membership of EPG shall be the ultimate decision-making body and any resolution passed at General Meetings shall take precedence over any other decisions made by the Committee or elected members.

The term General Meeting shall include all formally constituted meetings of the membership, including the Annual General Meeting and Extraordinary General Meetings.

25% of members eligible to vote shall form a quorum at any General Meeting. In special circumstances (such as legally enforced restrictions on public movement and meetings), General Meetings shall be deemed quorate based on attendance at “video conference” meetings which are constituted and advertised to all members in accordance with the following sections.

28. Proposals for consideration at a General Meeting must be received by the Hon. Secretary at least twenty one days prior to a General Meeting.

29. The Hon. Secretary shall give notice to all members at least fourteen days before any General Meeting. Proposals may be circulated by email or distributed by hand or post.

30. The Annual General Meeting (AGM) shall, circumstances allowing, be held in April of each year. The Hon. Secretary shall give notice to all members at least fourteen days before the AGM, with necessary papers as outlined below.

31. The agenda for the AGM shall include reports from the Chairperson, Secretary, Treasurer, Programme Secretary and Competition Secretaries. The Annual Accounts are to be presented for approval by the members. Nominees for Officers and Committee shall also be presented to the members, and if required a ballot shall be held at the AGM if nominations exceed vacancies.

32. Nominations for Officers and Committee and items for the Agenda must reach the Hon. Secretary at least twenty-one days before the AGM. The retiring Officers and Committee Members may offer themselves for re-election except that the Chairperson shall not hold office for more than three consecutive years.

33. All members of the Committee retire from office at the AGM. The election of Officers and Committee shall be by secret ballot at the AGM if the nominations exceed the number of vacancies. The Hon. Secretary shall act as “Returning Officer” for the ballot.

34. Notwithstanding the fact that the post of Hon. Secretary may change at the AGM the outgoing Hon. Secretary shall, nevertheless, take the minutes of the whole of that meeting.

35. An Extraordinary General Meeting (EGM) shall be summoned by the Hon. Secretary if 25% of members shall present a signed requisition stating the motion to be discussed. No business other than the matters on the Agenda may be discussed at an EGM.

Members' Suggestions and Complaints

36. Complaints about the running of EPG must be made in writing and signed and dated and addressed to the Hon. Secretary who will place them before the Committee for consideration. The decision of the Committee must be accepted as final.

Winding-Up of EPG

37. In the event of a decision being taken to wind up EPG at a General Meeting, the Committee shall be empowered to realise all assets of EPG and donate the proceeds to the Western Counties Photographic Federation and/or a registered charity or charities of the Committee’s choice.

Alteration of Constitution

38. This constitution shall not be altered except at a General Meeting, by a majority vote of those members present voting for the proposed change.

Approved at Annual General Meeting on 21st April 2021,