Based upon British Rowing Model Club Constitution August 2010, updated April 2015.
Amended as approved at the EGM on 18 January 2023.
1. NAME
1.1. The Club shall be known as Hexham Rowing Club.
2. OBJECTIVES
2.1. The Club objectives are the promotion of community participation in healthy recreation and physical activity for the benefit of the inhabitants of Tynedale and environs, by the provision of facilities for rowing and sculling.
3. MEMBERSHIP
3.1. The Club offers membership on a non-discriminatory and fair basis covering the following categories.
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- Adult
- Family
- Junior
3.2. Junior membership is open, with approval of parent, guardian or carer, to those in school Year 9 and above and to those in Year 8 subject to a case by case assessment against criteria determined by the Committee.
4. ELIGIBILITY
4.1. Membership of the club is open to anyone interested in the sport of rowing, on application, in accordance with the Equal Opportunities Policy.
4.2. The Committee may limit membership of the Club in line with the capacity of the facilities on a non-discriminatory basis.
4.3. A person who has been expelled from, or refused membership of, British Rowing shall not be eligible for membership.
5. MEMBERS’ RESPONSIBILITIES
5.1. Members are expected to conduct themselves in accordance with British Rowing’s Code of Conduct and any code of the Club.
6. EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES
6.1. The Club is fully committed to the principles of equality of opportunity and is responsible for ensuring that no member, volunteer, employee or job applicant receives less favourable treatment on the grounds of age, gender, disability, race, ethnic origin, nationality, colour, parental or marital status, pregnancy, religious belief, social status, sexual orientation or political belief.
7. SAFETY
7.1. The Officers and the Committee have responsibility for monitoring safe practice within the Club and for adopting advice from British Rowing. Hexham Rowing Club Constitution February 2023 Hexham Rowing Club Page 2 of 6
7.2. Members at a General Meeting, or the Committee at a Committee meeting, shall appoint a Committee member to act as Club Rowing Safety Advisor who will lead and advise on promoting safe practice and whose duty it will be to understand the requirements of British Rowing (set out in ‘Row Safe: Safety Advice for Rowers, Clubs and Competitions’).
7.3. Members must familiarise themselves with their safety responsibilities and British Rowing guidance set out in ‘Row Safe: Safety Advice for Rowers, Clubs and Competitions’ and accept safety advice given by the Water Safety Advisor.
7.4. Junior members under the age of 18 will row only with supervision through the Junior section.
8. SAFEGUARDING THE WELFARE OF CHILDREN, YOUNG PEOPLE AND ADULTS
8.1. The Club accepts the policy and procedures relating to the welfare of children, young people, and adults with care and support needs as set out by British Rowing.
8.2. Members at a General Meeting, or the Committee at a Committee meeting, shall appoint a Committee member, or two members, to act as Club Welfare Officer(s) to:
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- support the club, and everyone associated with it, in relation to safeguarding and welfare;
- create safe, inclusive environments; and
- respond to concerns and disclosures.
8.3. Members must familiarise themselves with the British Rowing welfare guidance and comply with the guidance as a condition of membership.
9. SUBSCRIPTION
9.1. The Club may have different classes of membership and subscription on a non-discriminatory and fair basis.
9.2. The Club will keep subscriptions at levels that will not pose a significant obstacle to people participating.
9.3. The subscription year runs from 1st January. The rates of Subscription shall be determined by the members in a General meeting and shall be due on the 1st January.
9.4. Payment by monthly instalments may be allowed as a concession at the discretion of the Committee.
10. TERMINATION OF MEMBERSHIP
10.1. Any member may resign by giving one clear month’s notice, in writing or by email, to the Secretary.
10.2. A member shall be deemed to have resigned from the club if, after due notice in writing including by email, they have not paid by 1st March the annual subscription which became due on the 1st January, and/or they have failed to pay two months payments. They may, however, re apply for membership at any time during the year subject to any restrictions placed on them.
11. SUSPENSION OF MEMBERSHIP
11.1. Any member violating the rules or regulations of the Club or British Rowing’s Code of Conduct will be dealt with in a fair and timely manner, with reference to either the Club’s Grievance and Discipline Procedure and/or British Rowing Guidelines on Grievance and Disciplinary Procedures in Rowing. This may lead to suspension or expulsion from the Club.
11.2. Any member suspended or expelled may appeal to an independent Hearings Panel if such an appeal is approved by the committee of the Club. The panel may be drawn from the membership of the Club or from other clubs in the region. The panel will hear and receive Hexham Rowing Club Constitution February 2023 Hexham Rowing Club evidence, reach a conclusion, affirm or reject the sanctions imposed as appropriate. Any hearing panel must give a fair and independent hearing to the applicant within an appropriate timescale. Hearings must not contravene the Human Rights Act 1998 or any other policies of the Club or of British Rowing.
12. GRIEVANCES
12.1. An individual or member with a complaint should set out their grievances, in the first instance to the Club Chairman or the Club Welfare Officer. The Club will seek to deal with complaints in a fair and timely manner, with reference to British Rowing’s Guidelines on Grievances and Disciplinary Procedures in Rowing
13. ELIGIBILITY TO HOLD OFFICE
13.1. Only full members over the age of 16 are entitled to vote are eligible to hold positions as Chairman, Captain, Secretary or Treasurer..
13.2. Any member who is under the age of 16 years, shall not be eligible to vote or hold office.
14. COMMITTEE ROLES
14.1. CHAIRMAN. The Chairman will preside at all General meetings of the Club and at all the meetings of the Committee, and shall be responsible for guiding the activities of the Club in
accordance with the general policy as expressed by the majority of its members.
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- The Chairman shall represent, or arrange for representation of, the Club at British Rowing regional level and at meetings of other organisations.
- The Chairman shall ex officio be a member of any other committee of the Club. If the Chairman is absent those present shall choose one of their number to be Chairman before any business is transacted.
14.2. CAPTAIN(S). The Captain(s) (or committee members bearing similar equivalent titles agreed by the members at an Annual General Meeting) will be responsible for training, coaching, representation of the Club at competitions and equipment allocation.
14.3. SECRETARY. The Secretary is responsible for the organisation of meetings of the Committee and of the Club, and recording minutes relating to such meetings and all correspondence relating to the business of the club.
14.4. TREASURER. The Treasurer is responsible for the collection and disbursement of all monies belonging to the Club and will keep proper accounting records of all transactions. He/She will present to the members at the AGM a balance sheet and income and expenditure transactions for the year.
14.5. CLUB WELFARE OFFICER: The Club Welfare Officer is the person to whom concerns or allegations regarding inappropriate treatment of members may be made. He/She advises on the requirements of British Rowing’s Safeguarding Handbooks and welfare guidance and actions required by them. He/She advises on the complaints procedure and supports access to appropriate information.
14.6. CLUB ROWING SAFETY ADVISER: The Safety Adviser acts as a single point of contact to lead and advise in promoting safe practice.
15. COMMITTEE MEMBERSHIP
15.1. The Committee and all the officers of the Club shall take office on 1st January or immediately upon election if appointed after 1st January.
15.2. Any person standing for election to the Committee who is not a member shall be proposed and seconded by two members. Hexham Rowing Club Constitution February 2023 Hexham Rowing Club
15.3. In the case of a vacancy among the Committee, not appointed at a General Meeting, the Committee may appoint an eligible person from their number to act until the next AGM.
15.4. The Club may hold an Extraordinary General Meeting (EGM) with the purpose of electing an officially nominated candidate for the vacant post. The EGM will take place as soon as is practically possible following announcement of the intention to call an EGM to fill the vacancy (or vacancies) and the subsequent receipt of nominations by the Secretary (or another Club Official in the event of the vacant post in question being that of the Secretary).
15.5. The Committee and individual committee members should act according to high ethical standards, and ensure that conflicts of interest are properly dealt with.
16. COMMITTEE MEETINGS
16.1. At the first meeting of each year the Committee should make such appointments and co- options as are deemed necessary.
16.2. The Committee shall appoint such Club representatives as are required by other bodies associated with or affiliated to the Club (e.g. where appropriate Tyne Green Watersports Association (TGWA) and Northern Rowing Council).
16.3. The Committee will approve such delegated limits on expenditure as it judges appropriate.
16.4. The Committee shall meet periodically throughout the year as appropriate to the business to be transacted.
16.5. Special Meetings of the Committee shall be called by the Secretary on the instructions of the Chairman, or not less than three members.
16.6. A quorum shall consist of not less than five members.
16.7. Committee members who are elected by the members at a General Meeting are allowed to vote.
16.8. In the case of a shared role on the Committee the Committee members sharing a role shall share a single vote at Committee meetings.
17. LIABILITY
17.1. The Committee shall manage the affairs of the Club. Financial or legal liability incurred in the rightful exercise of their office shall not, however be the personal liability of the committee, but shall be the responsibility of the Club as a whole. The Committee shall ensure that adequate and appropriate public or preferably civil liability insurance is in place to cover all activities of the Club, its Committee and members.
18. GENERAL MEETING
18.1. Members at the Annual General Meeting shall elect such appointments as are deemed necessary.
18.2. An Annual General Meeting shall be held in November of each year. There shall be laid before the meeting a statement of accounts made up to the 31st day of October immediately preceding.
18.3. An Extraordinary General Meeting shall be called on the instructions of a simple majority of the committee, or on a requisition signed by not less than ten members of the Club entitled to vote.
18.4. Not less than 21 days clear notice shall be given, specifying to all members the time and business of the General meeting.
18.5. Motions to be discussed at the Annual General Meeting not of origin from the committee, shall be lodged with the Secretary at least two weeks preceding the AGM, and will be signed by ten members of the Club entitled to vote.
18.6. At a General Meeting the Chairman will preside or, in his/her absence a Chairman for the meeting will be elected by the voting members present.
18.7. The person presiding may exercise a casting vote.
18.8. At a General Meeting a resolution put to the vote of the meeting shall be decided by a show of hands of those members of the Club entitled to vote, except when more than one nomination has been received for a position on the Committee, in which case voting will be by secret ballot.
18.9. At all General Meetings a quorum of at least one tenth of the number of members of the Club or ten members of the Club, whichever is the greater, shall be present.
18.10. If after half an hour from the time appointed for the meeting a quorum is not present, the Meeting, if called at the request of the members, shall be dissolved. In any other case the Meeting shall be adjourned until a time and place to be fixed by the Committee.
18.11. If a quorum is not present within half an hour from the time appointed for an Adjourned Meeting, the members present shall be a quorum.
18.12. Accidental omission to give notice of a meeting to, or the non-receipt of notice of, a meeting by any member shall not invalidate the proceedings of a meeting.
18.13. Members over the age of 16 years who have paid the annual subscription or are paying an appropriate monthly equivalent are full members entitled to vote at a General Meeting.
19. ALTERATIONS TO THE CONSTITUTION
19.1. This Constitution shall not be altered, amended or rescinded except by a General Meeting of the Club.
19.2. A resolution to give effect to a change must be passed by at least 75% of the members present at the General Meeting and voting on this behalf.
20. AUDIT AND/OR REVIEW OF ACCOUNTS
20.1. The Committee may require audit or review of the accounts by a suitably qualified person at their discretion.
21. DISTRIBUTION OF PROFITS
21.1. In no circumstances can any profit be distributed to members, but any profits earned shall be used in furthering the objects of the Club.
22. TERMINATION
22.1. The Club shall not terminate except by resolution of a Extraordinary General Meeting convened for the purpose and, in such an event, any surplus assets shall be handed over to a body or bodies with similar objectives or to a charity or charities agreed by the meeting which formally terminates the Club.
23. POWER OF DECISION
23.1. The Committee may deal with any matter not provided for in this Constitution, including any question over the interpretation of the Constitution.
24. PRIVATE PROPERTY INCLUDING BOAT
24.1. The Committee may allow private boats to be kept in the Boathouse. Private boats shall be left at their owners’ risk, the Club will not take responsibility for accidental damage and Hexham Rowing Club Constitution February 2023 Hexham Rowing Club accidental damage will not be covered by the Club’s insurance policy. Members must hold insurance, including third party liability insurance, for their boats and ensure a copy of the certificate is available to be held by the Club on inception and subsequent renewal of the policy.
25. AFFILIATION
25.1. The Club shall be affiliated to British Rowing.
26. COLOURS AND EMBLEMS
26.1. The racing colours of the Club shall be Sax Blue, Old Gold Yellow and Maroon Brown.
26.2. The strip shall be either Sax blue all in one with Old Gold Yellow and Maroon Brown vertical stripes or Royal Blue T-Shirts.
26.3. The Emblem of the Club shall be a shield with crossed blades and the words Hexham Rowing Club.
26.4. The Club Blades shall be old gold yellow with the cross of St Andrew in royal blue.