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Constitution

BRITISH HOSTA AND HEMEROCALLIS SOCIETY
Registered Charity 1003489
Constitution and Rules

OBJECT
1. The Society shall be called the ‘British Hosta and Hemerocallis Society’ and its object shall be the education of the general public by the promotion of the study and cultivation of the genera Hosta and Hemerocallis. In furtherance of this object the Society shall have the following powers:-

i. To gather and disseminate particulars of their cultivation and the conditions under which they grow in nature.
ii. To organise meetings.
iii. To do all other such lawful things as shall further the said object.

MEMBERSHIP AND AFFILIATION
2. Candidates for membership of the Society shall be elected in such manner as the committee may from time to time determine. Payment of the subscription shall be considered as acceptance by the member of the rules of the Society.

3. Members shall be entitled to share in all privileges and activities of the Society and in particular to copies of each number of the Bulletin and Newsletters, if any, published during their membership; to the assistance of the panel of experts; to free admission to all Shows of the Society, and to the right to exhibit thereat; and to vote at General Meetings of the Society.

MANAGEMENT AND MEETINGS
4. The Honorary Officers of the Society shall be the President, two Vice-Presidents, the Chairman, the General Secretary, the Membership Secretary, the Treasurer, the Bulletin Editor, the Newsletter Editor, the Web Editor, the Registrars, the Librarians, the Publicity Officer (Hemerocallis), the Publicity Officer (Hosta) and the Exhibition and Show Secretary. A member may hold more than one office at the same time, but shall only be entitled to a single vote on each issue at any meeting (other than the casting vote of the Chairman). The Officers elected at the Annual General Meeting of the Society shall hold office until the next AGM when they shall retire but be eligible for re-election. The officers shall serve for three years and shall, on retirement, be eligible for re-election.

5. The Committee shall consist of the Honorary Officers and not more than six other members. The Committee shall be an Executive Committee and shall manage the affairs of the Society and shall have power to do everything necessary for that purpose. Any casual vacancy on the Committee or of any Office may be filled by the Committee. The quorum of the Committee shall be three of which two must be Officers. If at any Committee meeting, General Meeting or Extraordinary General Meeting the Chairman is not present, the Committee shall elect a Chairman to preside at that meeting.

6. The Annual General Meeting shall be held before the 31st October following the close of the financial year, and there shall be not more than 15 months between one AGM and the next. Notice of the date, time and place of the AGM shall be notified to members at least 14 days before the meeting.

The business of the AGM shall be:

i. To receive the Chairman’s Report on the activities of the Society during the preceding year.

ii. To receive and consider the Accounts of the Society for the previous year, the Auditor’s Report on the Accounts and the Treasurer’s Report on the financial position of the Society.

iii. To elect the Honorary Officers and other members of the Committee.

iv. To announce the subscription for the following year.

v. To consider and vote on any special business of which members have been notified or which the Chairman shall rule is in order.

The quorum of the AGM shall be three ordinary members plus a quorum of the Committee. Voting shall be by a show of hands unless the Chairman shall direct that a ballot be taken. In the event of an equality of votes the Chairman shall have the casting vote.

7. Extraordinary General Meeting. The Committee may convene an EGM of the Society at any time and shall do so within four weeks upon a written request signed by 25 members of the Society. A written notice must be sent to all members not less than seven days before such a meeting, setting forth the date, time, place and purpose of the meeting and no business other than that mentioned in the notice shall be transacted. The quorum and voting procedure for an EGM shall be the same as that for an AGM

8. Ordinary Meetings. The ordinary meetings of the Society shall be held in accordance witha programme which shall be formulated by the Committee and issued to all members of the Society.

REGULATIONS
9. No individual or Regional Group shall take any public action, or make any public announcement in the name of the Society.

10. The Committee may suspend the membership of any member whose conduct has in the opinion of the Committee been contrary to the interest of the Society or injurious to its reputation.

FINANCES
11. Subscriptions shall become due on the first of January in every year. In the event of joining after the 30th September, the subscription shall cover the period up to the end of the following year. Members are not entitled to any of the privileges of the Society until their subscriptions are paid, and a member neglecting to pay his or her subscription by 30th June shall be deemed to have resigned from the Society.

12. Subscriptions (other than those paid direct by standing order) shall be sent in the first instance to the Membership Secretary who will pass them to the Treasurer.

13. The Treasurer shall be responsible for paying all monies received by him or her on the Society’s behalf into one of the Society’s bank accounts. All dealings with the Bank shall be in accordance with the Bank Mandate. Any alteration to the Bank Mandate shall be countersigned by the Chairman and the General Secretary.

14. The funds of the Society shall be used solely for furthering the Society’s Object and only in ways sanctioned by the Committee or by a General Meeting.

15. The Committee shall be responsible for appointing an Auditor every year. The Auditor shall be an independent examiner who is a person who has ability and experience in accountancy matters and who is independent of the trustees.

16. The financial year of the Society shall end on 31st December, on which day the accounts shall be balanced and drawn.

ALTERATION OF RULES
17. The rules may be amended only at a General Meeting of the Society and only if notice of the proposed deletion, addition or alteration has been sent to all members not less than 14 days before the meeting. No amendment shall be made to this clause, Clause 1 or Clause 18 without the prior consent in writing of the Charity Commissioners; no amendment shall be made which would cause the Society to cease to be a charity at law.

DISSOLUTION
18.The Society may be dissolved by a resolution passed by a two thirds majority of those present and voting at an Extraordinary General Meeting convened for the purpose of which 21 days’ notice shall have been given to members. Such resolution shall give instructions for the disposal of any assets held by or in the name of the Society, provided that if any property remains after the satisfaction of all debts and liabilities such property shall not be paid or distributed among the members of the Society but shall be given or transferred to such other charitable institution or institutions having objects similar to some or all of the objects of the Society.

Amended 22nd April 2007
Item 4 Amended and adopted on 12th July 2015