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USSCC Club Constitution

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1. NAME

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  • The name of the Club shall be the ULSTER SPELEOLOGICAL SOCIETY & CAVING CLUB (henceforth referred to within this document as USSCC). The Club shall be located in Northern Ireland and operate from various venues, our admin will operate from 76 Neillsbrook Park, Randalstown BT413BQ.

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2. OBJECTIVES

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  • The objectives of the Club shall be:

  1. To encourage and facilitate the pursuit of Caving and all that surrounds this sport.

  2. To provide a social venue for mutual help, support and events such as slide shows and lectures.

  • To make it easier for members to undertake caving by organising meets, booking huts and combining transport.

  • To make caving accessible to all.

  • To educate all members in every aspect of caving I.e survival, nutrition, first aid, conservation, caving codes of conduct, SRT and other caving practices  

 

3. LIABILITIES

 

  • The Club does not take responsibility for the participants on Club activities, be they members, potential members or guests. Caving is a  activity with a danger of personal injury or death. Participants in these activities should be aware of and accept these risks and be responsible for their own actions and involvement.

  • The USSCC is committed to equality. Membership of USSCC is open to all who accept Article 3.1 of the constitution and meet the criteria in Articles 4.1, 4.2 and 4.3. No applications will be refused, other than on reasonable grounds, which shall be stated and there will be no discrimination on grounds of any of the protected characteristics set out in section 4 of the Equality Act 2010, including but not limited to age, disability, gender reassignment, marital or civil partnership status, pregnancy and maternity, race (which includes ethnic or national origin, colour or nationality), religion or belief, sex and sexual orientation. USSCC will respect the rights, dignity and worth of every member.

  • The USSCC is subject to the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) because it collects, stores, shares and uses personal data of its members. USSCC takes member’s privacy seriously. The Club’s privacy notice sets out how, why and for how long the Club will use members personal data, as well as who it is shared with. It also explains members’ legal rights as a data subject and how to exercise them.

 

4. MEMBERSHIP

 

  • Any candidate for membership of the Club must be at least 18 years old. Application for membership shall be made via the online application form on the USSCC website or a written application to the treasurer.

  • Candidates for membership should attend two meets prior to consideration of membership by the Committee.

  • If the Committee accept the candidate for membership, then on payment of the annual subscription the candidate shall become a full member of the Club.

  • All paid up members shall be entitled to attend and vote at all General Meetings. They shall also be entitled to attend all meets and excursions and social functions of the Club.

  • The Constitution shall be available on the USSCC website and all new members shall be provided with a copy of the Constitution or a link to its published location on the website.

  • The Committee shall be allowed to turn down any candidate’s application for membership on reasonable grounds, which shall be stated.

  • The Committee may end the membership of a member with reasons being given to the member in writing. The member has the right of appeal to the office-bearers of the Committee, whose decision is final.

  • Honorary members may be proposed at the Annual General Meeting (henceforth referred to within this document as AGM). Honorary members are not required to pay the membership fee but are entitled to vote at the AGM, Extraordinary General Meeting (henceforth referred to within this document as EGM)and attend meets and other events.

 

 

5. SUBSCRIPTIONS

 

  • The annual subscriptions shall be determined at an AGM.

  • Any proposal to change the subscriptions shall be included in the agenda for the AGM and given to members with the notice of that meeting.

  • The annual subscriptions shall be due and payable on acceptance of the application for membership and every succeeding 1st The Treasurer shall remind members when the annual subscriptions becomes due.

  • Members whose subscriptions are more than three months in arrears shall be held to have resigned.

 

6. OFFICE BEARERS

 

  • The office bearers of the Club shall be Chairman, Secretary, Treasurer and Meets Secretary.

  • The Meets Secretary shall have the role of arranging a series of outdoor meets through the year. The Meets Secretary shall not be responsible for any further arrangements such as the arrangement of transport and/or food, information about the area or equipment and clothing required. Such information shall be the responsibility of the individual member at all times.

 

7. MANAGEMENT

 

  • The management of the Club shall be vested in a Committee which shall consist of the office bearers and four other paid-up members.

  • The office bearers and the four other members of the Committee shall be elected at the AGM of the Club and shall hold office from the close of the AGM until the close of the next AGM.

  • The office bearers of the Committee shall retire annually but shall be eligible for re-election provided always that the Chairman and the Treasurer shall not hold their respective offices for more than three consecutive years.

  • If a vacancy occurs in the office of Chairman the Secretary shall temporarily fill the office until the close of the next AGM.

  • If a vacancy occurs in the Committee, then the Committee may co-opt a person to hold office for the remainder of the year.

  • The Committee shall have power to vote sums of money to purchase books and maps or other articles and to meet other expenses connected with the management of the Club and to cover any deficits on Club meets, excursions or other functions.

 

8. RECORDS OF BUSINESS INCLUDING ACCOUNTS

  • Minutes shall be made of the proceedings and resolutions at all business meetings of the members and of the Committee.

  • The Treasurer shall be responsible for keeping the Club accounts. The Club accounts shall be submitted for approval by all members at the AGM.

  • The financial year of the Club shall end on the 31stMarch, and thereafter the Treasurer shall submit to the Committee the accounts for the year.

  • Authorised signatories to the Club’s bank account shall be the Treasurer and the Meets Secretary.

  • The Treasurer shall make the Club’s bank statements available at the AGM for inspection by members.

 

9. MEETINGS

 

  • The AGM of the Club shall be held in a place to be determined by committee on a date to be determined by the Committee for the following purposes:

  • 1. To receive the Committee’s report on the past year’s activities.

  • 2. To receive and approve the Treasurer’s accounts for the year.

  • 3. To elect office bearers and other Committee members for the following year.

  • 4. To approve the annual subscription for the following membership year.

  • 5. To transact any other competent business.

    • The Committee shall have the power to call an EGM at such time as it shall see fit.

    • The Secretary shall call an EGM on receiving a written request signed by four non-Committee members. The request must specify the object for which the EGM is being called.

    • The notice of any EGM shall specify the business to be transacted. It shall not be competent to transact any other business at the EGM.

    • Notice of an AGM or EGM shall be given to all members in writing at least 28 days before the date of the meeting.

 

10. CHANGES TO THE CONSTITUTION

 

  • If it is proposed to change the Constitution, then an EGM shall be required. The proposed change shall be given in a notice calling the EGM. Proposed changes require a vote of not less than two-thirds of the voting members present at the meeting.

 

11. CHAIR

 

  • The Chair at meetings shall be taken by the Chairman; in the absence of the Chairman, by the Secretary. In both of their absences, the meeting shall elect a Chair from among the other members present.

  • The Chair of all meetings shall, in the case of equality of votes, have a second or casting vote.

 

12. QUORA

 

  • Ten members shall constitute a quorum at all General Meetings and five members shall constitute a quorum at a meeting of the Committee.

 

13. CLUB MEETS & TRIPS

 

  • The social and caving meets of the Club shall be fixed by the Committee.

  • No member of the Club shall be designated as leader, instructor or equipment officer. No member of the Club shall be formally recognised to act on behalf of the Club in such roles on any event or activity organised by the Club.

  • The rules and procedures for booking the meets shall be established by the Committee and maintained by the Meets Secretary.

  • The rules and procedures shall be published on the USSCC website and a copy of the meets list shall be provided to members.

 

14. PAYING GROUPS

 

  •  We will aim to take a paying group once in a while caving this will help fund new equipment and members trips.

  • This will also promote what the club is doing and hopefully spread the word and gain more memberships

  • We will never make more than 10 pound profit on any individual as we want group trips to be accessible to all.

  • We will target groups within the community in hope to entice and promote caving.

  • We will never charge more than £65 per individual in a group trip.

  • Group trips have to be signed off by at least 2/3 of the committee to be authorised.

  • Full insurance will be provided for groups.

 

15. DISBANDING THE CLUB

 

  • The Club shall be disbanded following a decision of not less than two thirds of the paid-up members of the Club.

  • In the event of the Club disbanding any funds or assets of the Club shall be donated to a Irish Cave Rescue Organisation chosen by the remaining members of the Club

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