1. Title
a) The Club shall be known as Cleobury Mortimer Running Club or CMRC (hereinafter to be referred to as “the Club”).
2. Objectives
a) The objectives of the Club shall be:
b) To encourage the practice, promotion, development and participation of amateur athletics in Cleobury Mortimer and the wider community
c) To provide training and coaching for members
d)To organise open, club, and club handicap running races.
e)To organise teams to represent the Club in championships and leagues and in such other competitions as the Committee shall decide.
f) The Club shall cater for the following athletics disciplines: Road Running, Track Running, Cross-Country Running, and Fell Running.
g) To ensure a duty of care to all members of the club.
h) To provide its services in a way that is fair to all members.
i) The Club shall seek to be affiliated to national and regional amateur athletic bodies as the Committee consider appropriate in order to carry out the objectives of the Club.
h) The Club shall comply with any rules and regulations laid down from time to time by national and regional athletic bodies to which the Club is affiliated.
3. Membership
a) Membership of the Club shall be open to persons of 16 years of age and over who are amateurs as defined by UK athletics governing bodies at that time, regardless of sex, age, disability, ethnicity, nationality, sexual orientation, religion or other beliefs. However, limitation of membership according to available facilities is allowable on a non-discriminatory basis.
b) Each membership application must be made using the application form which is available to download on the Club’s website or is available from committee members and is expected after the 2nd attendance.
c) Honorary life membership of the Club may be conferred upon any member by a majority vote of the Committee in recognition of someone who has performed an outstanding service, or who has made an outstanding contribution to the Club.
d) The Committee shall have the power to suspend or exclude any member for contravention of this Constitution. Appeal against refusal or removal may be made to the members.
e) Family Membership is defined as covering up to two adults co-habiting and any number of their children, who are not yet adults and live in their parents’ home. It does not cover any other family connections or living arrangements.
4. Colours and Merchandise
a) The Club colours shall be a red t-shirt or vest with the logo owned by Joanne Watson, Chair of the Committee, Joanne agrees to pass ownership on of these designs if she resigns from her position.
b) The Club colours must be worn by all members representing the Club at every competitive meeting.
c) The Media and Merchandise Secretary will take requests from any members throughout the year however only 4 orders will placed and these will take place after each committee meeting or AGM.
5. Subscriptions
a) Annual subscriptions, which may include affiliation to England Athletics, shall become due on 1st January each year, with the amounts being determined by the AGM. Following registering or renewal a membership card and pack would be given to the member.
b) The Club will keep subscriptions at levels that will not pose a significant obstacle to people participating.
c) Members joining after the 1st July will be asked to pay 50% of the membership costs.
d) Membership will cease for any member failing to make payment by the time of the Club’s AGM, usually at the end of January, provided that notice has been sent at least twice to the member’s last known email address informing him/her of the proposed action.
e) When becoming an independent club from the previous position of Ludlow Runners Satellite Club it was formally agreed that fully paid members of Ludlow Runners would be welcome to attend club nights after completion of a form providing coaches with emergency information. For insurance purposes, they would also be asked to sign to state that they run under their own insurance held at their registered club. These stipulations would also apply to anyone wishes to attend club nights whilst staying in the area.
f) Beginners courses will be organised at various points during the year with the cost agreed by the committee, but this will not include membership to the club. After completion of the course attendees will be asked to join, paying the full club membership fees expected at that point in the year.
6. Management
a) The management of the Club shall be vested in a Committee that shall consist of the Chair, Vice Chair, Treasurer, Secretary, Media and Merchandise Officer and 1 Club Link Secretaries who shall be Officers of the club. All the foregoing shall be elected at the AGM and remain in office until the conclusion of the AGM of the following year. Should there be more than one nomination for any of the Officer positions, or more than 6 for the other Committee members, a ballot may be held at the AGM to decide the successful candidate(s). In certain circumstances the AGM may decide that more Committee members are required and in this situation it may not be necessary to hold a ballot.
b) Committee members wishing to stand down for the following year must notify the Secretary at least 2 weeks before the date of the AGM.
c) Nominations for Officers of the Club or other Committee members should, if possible, be sent to the Secretary at least 2 weeks before the date of the AGM.
d) Four elected members of the Committee are required for a quorum for a Committee meeting to take place provided that the Chair or Secretary is one of those present.
e) The Committee shall have the power to fill vacancies if they arise and to co-opt members for particular projects.
f) The Committee shall also have the power to establish any sub Committee deemed appropriate to assist in meeting the objectives of the Club, and to delegate to these sub Committees such duties as may be considered appropriate.
g) The Committee shall have the power to appoint individuals to perform specific duties on behalf of the Committee, and to delegate to those individuals such duties as they consider appropriate.
7. London Marathon Draw
In the future, should we have sufficient UKA affiliated athletes to entitle us to a London Marathon place then the London Marathon, held in April each year, provides the Club with a place that can be allocated at the club discretion.
At such time criteria for entering the ballot will be discussed as a committee.
8. Annual General Meeting
a) The AGM shall be held in the month of January as dictated by the practical circumstances applicable at that time.
b) At the AGM the meeting will:
i) Receive the annual report of the Chair
ii) Receive the annual report of the Secretary
iii)Receive the financial statements and the Treasurer’s report.
iv) Elect the officers and the Committee for the ensuing year.
v) Consider any amendment to the constitution of which due notice has been given to all members. Any proposed change to the constitution must be received by the Secretary at least 14 days preceding the meeting in order that all members shall have sufficient notice of the proposal.
vi) Transact any other notified business.
c) At least 14 days’ notice shall be given to members of the date, venue, proposed changes to the Club Constitution and agenda items for the AGM.
d) All registered members of the Club at the meeting who are aged 16 years or more shall have one vote. In the case of an equality of votes the Chair will have a second, casting, vote. Voting shall be by a show of hands except where the Chair decides voting shall be by ballot.
9. Extra-Ordinary General Meeting
a) An EGM may be called by the Committee to discuss changes to the Constitution and Rules or any other Club business too urgent to wait for the AGM.
b) An EGM must be called if 25% of members so petition the Secretary in writing.
c) Three weeks’ notice of an EGM must be given to the all members by email or in writing together with the motion/s to be discussed. No other business shall be conducted.
d) Procedures for voting shall be as used for the AGM.
10. Finance
a) The financial year of the Club shall end on 31st December.
b) All funds belonging to the Club shall be deposited with a bank or building society in accounts that shall carry the Club title. All accounts shall operate on two signatories, one of whom will be the Treasurer and the other either the Chair or Secretary. In an emergency all accounts may operate on the signatures of the Chair and Secretary together
c) Expenditure above agreed budget levels may only be authorised at a Committee meeting.
11. Property & Funds
a) The property and funds of the Club cannot be used for the direct or indirect private benefit of members other than as reasonably allowed by the Rules and all surplus income or profits are reinvested in the Club.
b) The Club may provide sporting and related social facilities, sporting equipment and coaching courses.
c) The Club may in connection with the sports purposes of the Club:
i) Sell and supply food, drink and related sports clothing and equipment.
ii) Employ members and remunerate them for providing goods and services, on fair terms set by the Committee without the person concerned being present.
d) The Committee will have due regard to the law on disability discrimination and child protection.
12. Winding Up
a) The members may vote to wind up the Club if not less than three quarters of those present and voting support that proposal at a properly convened general meeting.
b) The Committee will then be responsible for the orderly winding up of the Club’s affairs.
c) After settling all liabilities of the Club, the Committee shall dispose of the net assets remaining to one or more of the following:
i) To another Club with similar sports purposes or
ii) To the Club’s Regional governing bodies for use by them for related community sports or
iii) To the Club’s National governing bodies for use by them for related community sports.
13. Alterations to the Constitution
a) The Constitution may be altered but only by a resolution passed by three quarters of those present and voting at an AGM or an EGM called for that purpose.
14. Revision History
This Constitution was formerly agreed at the clubs first AGM on January 30th 2018. At present it has been agreed by all 6 committee members as of 26th September 2017 and is available for any current member that wishes to view it.