CONSTITUTION FOR ROCK ROWING CLUB 2022

1 Name

The organisation will be called Rock Rowing Club (“The Club”).

2 Aims and objectives

a Provide facilities for and promote participation of the whole community in the sport of rowing.

b Provide all its services to members in a way that is fair and equal to everyone.

c Offer coaching and competitive opportunities in rowing

d Ensure a duty of care to all members of the Club

3 Membership

All members will be subject to the regulations of the Constitution and by joining the Club will be deemed to accept the codes of conduct and guidelines of British Rowing (BR) and the Cornish Pilot Gig Association (CPGA) that the Club has adopted. These codes and conduct can be found on the club website together with the club constitution.

Membership will be open to all in the following categories:

(i) Adult

(ii) Family one/two adults and their children (under 18 years old on April 1st of

membership year)

(iii) Juniors (under 18 years old on April 1st of membership year)

(iv) Under 25 (under 25 years old on April 1st of membership year)

(v) Students in full time education

b Founder & Honorary Life Members

c Associate/Social/Friends/Supporters (these are non-voting members of the club)

Rock Rowing Club retains the right to refuse membership, which is at the discretion of the committee.

Any member may resign his membership by giving the Secretary 7 days notice in writing to that effect and the secretary must remove their name from the register of members and notify all other relevant bodies to which the register of members has been sent at the expiry of the notice period. A member wishing to resign their membership from the Club is not entitled to any refund of annual subscription.

4 Equity

Membership of the Club shall be open to all persons irrespective of ethnicity, nationality, sexual orientation, religion or beliefs, age, sex or disability except as a necessary consequence of the requirements of rowing as a particular sport.

5 Subscriptions

The membership year runs from 1st April to 31st March. The annual subscription rates are fixed at the AGM each year. Annual subscriptions shall be payable by 1st April. Any member who has not paid their membership fees in full will cease to be a member and will not be allowed to row (this is for insurance reasons). Half rates will apply from 1st October and be reduced on a monthly basis pro rata thereafter. Refunds may only be given in exceptional circumstances at the discretion of the Committee.

6 Officers, Committee and Post Holders of the Club

At the AGM the voting members shall elect a Chairperson, Vice Chairperson, Treasurer, Secretary and such other Officers, Committee members and Post Holders as the Club may from time to time decide, who shall hold office from the moment of election.

All Officers, Committee and Post Holders will stand down each year at the AGM but will be eligible for re-appointment. The Chairperson must retire after three consecutive years but is eligible for re-election after one year’s absence. If there are no other candidates the membership may vote the Chairperson back in.

7 Committee / Administration

a The Club will be managed through a Committee of no less than 12 to include four Officers as set out in 6 above, the other members include, Captain, Vice Captain, Coach, Rowing Co-ordinator, Junior Coordinator, Welfare Officer, Membership Secretary, Safety and Health Officer. These positions to be amended as required by the committee and ratified at the AGM.

In the event of a tie at Committee meetings or Annual General Meetings, the Chairperson shall have a casting vote.

b The committee can vote in post holders as required from time to time, but if required should include: Social Secretary, Junior Representative, Boat Keeper, Publicity Officer, Fixture Secretary, Fund Raising Officer. They shall be eligible to attend all Committee meetings without invitation in a non-voting advisory role. Through the Chairperson, the Committee may invite any person to attend its meetings as an observer without a power to vote.

c The Committee shall have the power to appoint a member to fill any casual vacancy on the Committee until the next Annual General Meeting.

d The Committee shall meet at least six times in every year and seven members (to include a Chairperson) shall form a quorum. Minutes shall be taken of all the proceedings of the Committee and once approved shall be open to inspection.

e The Committee will be responsible for adopting new policy, codes of conduct and rules that affect the organisation of the Club.

f The Committee will have power to appoint Sub-Committees as necessary and appoint advisers to the Committee as necessary to fulfil its business.

g The Committee will be responsible for disciplinary hearings of members as set out in section 10 and will be responsible for taking any action of suspension or discipline following such hearings.

h The Club’s insurance will indemnify Officers against any liability inadvertently incurred by them in the performance of their duties.

8 Finance

a. The Club Treasurer will be responsible for the finances of the Club.

b. All Club monies, other than petty cash, will be banked in an account/accounts held in the name of the Club.

c. The financial year of the Club will end on 30th September each year.

d. An independently examined statement of annual accounts will be circulated beforehand and then presented by the Treasurer at the AGM.

e. The funds of the Club shall be dealt with through online banking and/or cheques. All payments made from Club funds through online banking will require authorisation by two of the following four officers: Chairperson, Vice-Chairperson, Secretary, Treasurer. All cheques drawn against Club funds must be signed by two of the aforesaid signatories.

f. The Club is non-profit making. Any surplus income or gains are to be reinvested in the Club and no distribution of Club assets, in cash or in kind is to be made to members or third parties. This does not prevent donations by the Club to registered Charities or to other Clubs that are registered as Community Amateur Sports Clubs.

9 Annual General Meetings and Extraordinary General Meetings

a Notice of the Annual General Meeting (AGM) will be given by the Club Secretary by email, post or the Club notice board. Not less than 21 clear days’ notice shall be given to all members.

b The AGM will receive a report from various Officers and Post Holders and a statement of the independently examined accounts.

c Elections of all Officers, Committee members and Post Holders are to take place at the AGM. A form showing the current Officers and Post Holders will be circulated with the agenda 21 days before the AGM. Nominations made by members should then be received by the Club Secretary not less than 7 days prior to the AGM and circulated to all members.

d The quorum for AGMs will be 25% of the membership

e The Committee has the right to call Extraordinary General Meetings (EGMs) outside the AGM. Procedures for EGMs will be the same as for the AGM.

f. An EGM may be convened at any time by the Committee and must be convened within 21 days from receipt by the Secretary of a written request signed by at least 5 members specifying the object of the meeting. Notice convening an EGM specifying the matters to be discussed must be circulated to all members not less than 7 days before the meeting.

10 Discipline and Appeals

Any member who wishes to make a complaint against any other member for failing to observe the rules, codes of conduct or guidelines of BR or CPGA that the Club has adopted, must make the complaint verbally or in writing to the Chairman or Welfare Officer specifying in detail the matter complained of.

On receipt, the Chairman shall decide whether or not the matter appears sufficiently significant to warrant consideration of disciplinary action.

If it is judged that disciplinary action might be warranted, no action will be taken until an investigation has been carried out.

The Chairman will appoint a member to investigate the complaint and speak to all parties involved including any witnesses. The investigation must be impartial and thorough so as to inform the committee’s understanding of the matter.

The procedure will be as follows:

On receiving a report from the investigating Officer there will be a hearing before a panel of 3 committee members excluding the chairman and investigating officer (IO). A member of the panel will act as chairman of the hearing. The member involved will be given at least 10 days notice of the hearing in writing. This notification from the Secretary will include the following information:
1. Date, time and location of the hearing
2. Details of the allegation
3. The fact that the member will have the opportunity to state his or her case and question any witnesses’ statements
4. The right to be accompanied by a person of the members choice to act as a witness or representative as preferred
5. The fact that, depending on its findings, the hearing could result in disciplinary action and that the previous warnings (if any) might be taken into account when deciding the level of disciplinary action to be applied.

The panel will consider the evidence and decide whether, and if so, what level of sanction should be imposed. Sanctions include the verbal/written/final written warning, suspension or expulsion, depending on the nature of the seriousness of the offence. The panel will inform the member in writing of their decision and reasons.

A member may appeal against the decision of the panel by writing to the Chairman within 7 days of receiving the decision in writing, specifying the grounds for appeal, the example that the member disputes the facts of the matter, considers the sanction excessive or is dissatisfied with the way the procedure has been followed.
The Secretary on behalf of the Chairman , will reply to the member within 10 days to advise the date, time and venue of the appeal, which will be held within 28 days following the panel hearing
The appeal will be heard by an appeal panel comprising the Chairman and 2 committee members not involved in the panel, excluding the Investigating Officer. The purpose of the appeal is to review the decision taken by the panel, not rehear the case. The appeal panel will also satisfy itself that the procedure has been followed correctly.
The member may be accompanied by a person acting as a witness or representative as preferred. The member or his representative will be given the opportunity to explain his reason for the appeal. The chairman of the Panel will attend to explain the panel decision.
Having reviewed the appeal, the appeals panel may exercise one of the following options at its sole discretion:
1. Uphold the appeal
2. Uphold the appeal in part and impose a lower level of sanction
3. Reject the appeal in full.

viii Written confirmation of the decision, which will be final, with a full statement of

reasons for it will be sent to the member by the secretary within 14days of the

appeal hearing.

11 Property

Subject to the provisions of this clause, the club shall cause the title to:

all assets and investments held by the club and all land held by or in trust or the club (other than cash which shall be under the control of the Treasurer) to be vested in not less than three individuals appointed by them as Holding Trustees.

Holding Trustees may be removed by the Club at its pleasure and shall act in accordance with the lawful directions of the Club (of which an entry in the Minute book shall be conclusive evidence). Whereby from reason of death resignation or removal it shall appear necessary to the committee that a new trustee/s shall be appointed or if the Committee shall deem it expedient to appoint an additional trustee/s, the Committee shall by resolution nominate the person/s to be appointed the new trustee/s and they shall be indemnified against risk and expense out of the club property according to the third party indemnity clause of the Club’s insurance. Provided they act only in accordance with the lawful directions of the Club, the Holding Trustees shall not be liable for the acts and defaults of its members.

12 Dissolution

A resolution to dissolve the Club can only be passed at an AGM or EGM through a majority vote of the membership.

In the event of dissolution, any net assets remaining after the satisfaction of any proper debts and liabilities shall be given or transferred to such other registered Community Amateur Sports Clubs, registered Charities having similar aims to the Club or to the Sports’ Governing Body for use by them in community related sports, to be nominated by a majority vote of the membership.

13 Amendments to the Constitution

The Constitution will only be changed through agreement by majority vote at an AGM or EGM.

14 Equity Policy Statement

This club is committed to ensuring that the equity is incorporated across all aspects of its development. In doing so it acknowledges and adopts the following sports England definition of sports equity:

Sports equity is about fairness in sport, equality of access, recognising inequalities and taking steps to address them. It is about changing the culture and structure of sport to ensure it becomes equally accessible to everyone in society.

The club respects the rights, dignity and worth of every person and will treat everyone equally within the context of their sport, regardless of age, ability, gender, race, ethnicity, religious belief, sexuality or social/economic status.

The club is committed to everyone having the right to enjoy their sport in an environment free from threat of intimidation, harassment or abuse.

All club members have a responsibility to oppose discriminatory behaviour and promote equality of opportunity.

The club will deal with any incident of discriminatory behaviour seriously, according to the club disciplinary procedures.

15 Declaration

Rock Rowing Club hereby adopts and accepts this Constitution as a current operating guide regulating the actions of members.

Adopted 15th January 2018…………………………………………………

This Constitution was adopted by the Club on the date mentioned above and signed by the Officers whose signatures appear below.

SIGNED: …………………………………………… DATE: 15th January 2018

Name: Bro Diplock ……………………… Club Chairperson

SIGNED: …………………………………………… DATE: 15th January 2018

Name: Jane Diplock ………………………… Club Secretary

APPENDIX A

Officers & Members of the Committee and other Posts

OFFICERS

President

an honorary role as Ambassador for the Club; he/she may sit on the Committee and vote at meetings and should be present at the AGM to take over whilst the retiring Chairman stands down and a new one elected.

Chairperson

chairs Committee meetings in accordance with the Constitution and makes sure all members receive a fair hearing.
ensures the overall co-ordination of arrangements for the club activities, events and regattas.
represents the Club in the community.
ensures that the Club complies with the Constitution and Club rules made in accordance with section 3, the requirements of national and local legislation and regulations, the requirements of the Cornish Pilot Gig Association and any other organisation of which the Club from time to time may be a member.
makes sure all members with a role in the Club are fulfilling their responsibilities.
is one of four signatories for cheques drawn on the Club account.
has a casting vote In the event of a tie at Committee meetings or Annual General Meetings.

Vice Chairperson

he/she is deputy to the Chairperson.
is one of four signatories for cheques drawn on the Club account.

Treasurer

manages Club funds and bank accounts and is one of four signatories for cheques drawn on the Club account or one of the authorised persons for transfers.
prepares an independently examined statement of annual accounts for receipt by the AGM.
arranges insurance for the Club premises, property, boats and equipment and events.

Secretary

takes minutes for the Committee meetings and AGM.
organises meetings in accordance with the Constitution, producing the agenda and

minutes.

deals with general correspondence in accordance with the direction of the Committee, ensuring the appropriate officers and members where appropriate, are kept informed.
is one of four signatories for cheques drawn on the Club account.
keeps the records and correspondence history for the Club.
keeps the Club notice board up to date and informs members of its whereabouts.

COMMITTEE MEMBERS

Welfare Officer

ensures that the policies and rules of BR and the CPGA the Club has adopted are adhered to.

Captains

co-ordinate training times and boat availability for these sessions
are one of the crew selectors.
encourage members to fulfil their rowing potential and ensure that all members achieve their goals within the Club.
co-ordinate crew availability and selection in advance for regattas.
co-ordinate with the Coach on availability and selection for events.
encourage members to follow the Coach’s training schedules and recommendations leading up to major events.
co-ordinate with the Boat Keeper for boat availability.

Vice Captain

Assists Captain in the above duties and deputises for them as necessary.

Rowing co-ordinator

represents the views of the members of the Club and reports to the Committee from time to time.
Co-ordinates club training rows and boat and coxswain availability for these sessions.

Non Racing Rowing Representative

represents the views of the non-racing members of the Club and reports to the Committee from time to time.

Coach

provides training programmes, technical knowledge and guidance for all levels of the rowing membership.
co-ordinates where appropriate, ergo training and testing.
encourages all members to fulfil their rowing potential and ensure that they achieve their goals within the Club.
liaises with the Captains to help co-ordinate crew availability and selection in advance for regattas and to be one of the crew selectors.

Health & Safety Officer

ensures that the Club follows the health and safety procedures, policies and good practice, including the Water Safety Code.
manages risk assessment for Club activities and ensures a safe environment for its membership.

Junior Co-ordinator

organises training and rowing activities for the Juniors and selects crews for junior races.
provides an induction for new junior members.
co-ordinates with the Coach, Men’s and Women’s Captains for promoting juniors into senior crews.
co-ordinates with the Boat Keeper for boat availability.
is responsible for making sure the Juniors are aware of the Welfare Officer’s contact details.

Membership Secretary

is responsible for the membership records and collecting members’ subscriptions as they fall due.