Our constitution

FRIENDS OF EAST GREENWICH PLEASAUNCE CONSTITUTION

1. Name

The name of the group shall be:  ‘The Friends of East Greenwich Pleasaunce. ’

2. Aims

The aims of the group shall be:

1. To support and encourage the use of East Greenwich Pleasaunce.
2. To support the development of facilities for recreation, education, and amenities for local people and to encourage a sense of community around the area of the park.
3. To honour and preserve the historical importance of the Pleasaunce as part of Greenwich’s maritime heritage.
4. To protect and enhance the environmental and ecological value of the Pleasaunce.
5. To promote harmony within the community and to actively work against all forms of discrimination within it so that no one is disadvantaged by reason of ethnicity, gender, disability, sexual orientation, age, class, income, employment status or religious belief.
6. To represent the interests and security of the users of the park and local community by liaising with and influencing the bodies responsible for both the security and the cultural & community management of the Pleasaunce.
7. The group shall have the power to affiliate to any Body whose objects may be of benefit to its membership.
8. To raise funds via grants / fundraising activities to support the running and use of the Pleasaunce.
9. To ensure that all members of “The Friends of East Greenwich Pleasaunce” are informed and consulted regularly and that all park users are encouraged to join.

3. Membership

•        Membership shall be open to any individual or organisation interested in supporting the group’s work.
•        There shall be one voting representative from each paid up adult (over 18) member. In addition, any affiliated group shall have one voting representative.
•        Each member shall on request be given a copy of the Constitution
•        Members of the Management Group (‘Committee’) shall not make financial gain from their position. However reasonable out-of-pocket expenses may be made to members of the group, including of the Committee, for their work or duties undertaken on behalf of the group
•        Members shall pay an annual subscription fee of £3 for an individual, or a discount rate of £5 for a family – to be reviewed annually.

4. Management

•        The business of ‘The Friends of East Greenwich Pleasaunce’ shall be managed by the Committee, made up of members of the group. As far as possible the Committee should represent the users of the Pleasaunce and the population make-up of the area.
•        The Chairperson, Secretary, Treasurer and up to 9 other committee members as necessary shall be elected at the first meeting of the Committee following the Annual General Meeting and at each subsequent Annual General Meeting.
•        The Committee shall have the authority to co-opt any member to fill any vacancy occurring in their number, or to supplement the committee.
•        No two persons from the same household shall be elected officers of the Committee, nor any two persons from the same household act as signatories.
•        Members will automatically be taken off the Committee if they miss three consecutive meetings without giving apologies. This may be waived at the discretion of the Committee, who are charged with making sure that the member is informed of the situation before a decision is made. Members will be informed of decisions in writing.
•        The election or removal of officers or members of the Committee may only be carried out at a General Meeting of the members.
•        Officers shall hold their appointments for a maximum of three years. They may be elected for more than three years only if no other member stands for election.

5. Meetings

The Committee shall meet not less than 4 times a year.

6. Annual general meetings

The Committee shall call an Annual General Meeting of the members each year. Not less than 14 days notice of the Annual General Meeting shall be given to all members.

7. Special General Meetings

The Secretary shall call a Special General Meeting at the request of a majority of the Committee, giving reasons for their request. The Secretary shall give not less than 5 days notice of the holding of a Special General Meeting, which shall take place within 21 days of the receipt of the request.

8. Quorum

The quorum for meetings of the Committee shall be one third of its nominated membership or 3 members, whichever is the greater. The quorum for all Annual general Meetings shall be one quarter of the membership.

9. Finance

•        All monies raised by and on behalf of ‘Friends of East Greenwich Pleasaunce’ shall be applied to further the aims of the group and for no other purpose.
•        The Treasurer shall open and maintain an account in the name of ‘The Friends of East Greenwich Pleasaunce’. All cheques/withdrawals shall be signed by two of three signatories nominated by the Committee. One of these should be the Treasurer. No two members of the same household may be signatories.
•        The accounts shall be audited once a year by a qualified accountant or a non-member of the Committee.

10. Conduct

It is a condition of membership that members shall conduct themselves in a reasonable manner. A member of the Committee or a general member may be suspended from the group for failure to observe this, or for any other conduct not in line with the aims of the group. Any member suspended has the right of appeal to the following Committee meeting. Language or behaviour that is in any way discriminatory on the grounds of race, gender, sexuality, disability or ethnic or racial origin will not be tolerated and will constitute grounds for suspension.

11. Responsibilities of Officers

All of the Officers of the Committee have a duty to further the aims and objectives of the group, including the promotion of a multi-racial society and opposing all forms of discrimination.

•        THE CHAIR shall conduct the meetings of the Committee. In the event of the absense of the Chair, the committee shall elect someone to chair a particular meeting.
•        THE TREASURER shall open and maintain a banking account in the name of ‘The Friends of East Greenwich Pleasaunce’, keeping proper accounts of income and expenditure and report on them as required by the Committee or General Meeting.
•        THE SECRETARY shall be responsible for the convening of all meetings and the proper giving of notice to all members. S/he shall ensure that a proper record is kept of all meetings of the group, its Committee and any sub-committees in the form of Minutes and shall make these available as required by the Committee or General meeting.

Any member or officer delegated to represent the group with any other Body shall act on the instructions of the Committee and shall report back to the Committee or General Meeting. Only nominated representatives of the Committee shall be delegated to consult with the local authority or other agencies on its behalf.

12. Alterations to the Constitution

Any proposal to alter this constitution must be submitted to the Secretary of the Committee not less than 21 days before the meeting at which it is to be discussed. Not less than 7 day’s notice shall be given of such a meeting, together with the wording of the proposed alteration(s). Any alteration shall require the approval of two-thirds of those present and voting at the meeting.

13. Dissolution

If the Committee shall decide that the group should be dissolved, they give at least 21 days notice to those eligible for membership of a public meeting at which the matter shall be discussed. For the sole purpose of dissolution a quorum need not apply, and the group may be dissolved by a simple majority of those present. The assets, financial and otherwise, remaining when the group has satisfied its liabilities, shall be applied for such purposes of benefit to the community as the meeting shall decide.

This Constitution was adopted at a Public Meeting held at:

The Piper Room, Forum @ Greenwich on Monday 20^th March 2006.