Constitution







The Constitution of the British Carriage Dog Society
BRITISH CARRIAGE DOG SOCIETY

CONSTITUTION & RULES

1.NAME & PURPOSE

The Society shall be called the British Carriage Dog Society (Society) The object/aims of the society are:

-	To preserve the working heritage of the Dalmatian as a coaching dog -	To run an annual National Trials, the purpose of which is to demonstrate and test the Dalmatian's traditional role as a companion to man as road and carriage dog. -	To encourage common standards for all Carriage Dog Trials and to publish rules under which any Society sanctioned Trials in the UK should be run. -	To offer advice and support to any other person or organisation who wishes to run a Society sanctioned Carriage Dog Trial in the UK.

2.MEMBERSHIP

(i) 	The Society shall consist of an unlimited number of members from which Committee and Officers are elected. (ii)	No member shall be eligible to compete for trophies, propose or second any nomination or motion, or vote at, or address any meeting, or in any way participate in the advantages of the Society, unless their current subscription is paid. (iii)	There shall be the following types of membership:

Single – Single shall mean any individual aged eighteen years or more as at the first day of April in the year.

Family/Joint – Family/Joint shall mean husband/and or partner and such children of theirs as shall not have reached their eighteenth birthday prior to the first day of April in the year.

Junior – Junior shall mean a person between twelve and seventeen years of age inclusive as at the first day of April in the year.

Honorary – Honorary membership is awarded at the discretion of the Committee on behalf of the Society to any individual who in the opinion of the Committee has contributed in an exceptional manner to the well being of the Society.

Overseas membership is available.

(iv)	The Committee will formally consider membership.

(v)	Single, Family/Joint and Honorary members shall be entitled to cast a vote at any Annual or Extraordinary General Meeting of the Society. Children in family membership and Juniors shall not be entitled to vote. Postal votes must be received by the Secretary at least fourteen days prior to the meeting. In the event of equality of votes, the Chairman shall have an additional casting vote.

3.SUBSCRIPTIONS AND THE SOCIETY’S YEAR

(i)	Joining fees and Subscriptions shall be such a sum as the Society may, at its’ Annual General Meeting, determine. (ii)	The subscriptions shall be paid on or before the 1st day of April in each year and in default, membership of the Society shall lapse until such time as the subscription shall have been paid. (iii)	Any lapsed memberships renewed on or after the 30th day of April in each year shall be subject to a rejoining fee of the same amount as the Joining fee in (i) above. Fees paid by standing order will not incur a joining fee. (iv)	The Society’s financial year shall commence on the first day of January each year.

4.MEETINGS

(i)	The Annual General Meeting (AGM) shall be held at the national 	competition each year (ii)	An Extraordinary General Meeting (EGM) may be called by the Committee, as the Committee may consider expedient. Any ten or more members may, by written request, require the Committee to call an EGM. (iii)	The notice of calling of an AGM or an EGM and the terms of the resolutions proposed for discussion shall be sent to the members in writing at least twenty one days prior to the meeting. (iv)	Fourteen days notice shall be given to the Secretary for item to be included on the Agenda. (v)	A quorum at an Annual or Extraordinary General Meeting shall be 15% of members of the Society who are entitled to vote.

5.COMMITTEE

(i)	The management of the Society shall be in the hands of the Officers of the Society and a Committee consisting of not more than eight with at least three having been competitors on at least one occasion. (ii)	Only the offices of Secretary & Treasurer will specifically be elected by the membership. (iii)	The Chairman shall be elected annually from serving members of the Committee. (iv)	Officers and Committee may serve for a period of three years and be eligible for re-election without further nomination at the end of that period. (v)	All nominations for the election of Officers and Committee must be received in writing by the Secretary for at least fourteen days prior to the meeting. (vi)	The Secretary shall give members of the Committee twenty one days notice of all meetings and the main items of business known to the Secretary. The Secretary shall keep minutes containing a full account of all business transacted in Committee and General meetings.

6. PRESIDENTS & VICE PRESIDENTS

(i)	The President shall be proposed by the Committee and ratified by a simple majority at the AGM. They shall be members whom the Society wishes to honour. They shall serve for a period of three years and be eligible for a further term without re-election. The President may attend Committee meetings with full voting powers. The President shall not hold any other office of the Society.

(ii)	Vice Presidents shall be proposed by Committee and ratified by a simple majority at the AGM and serve at their pleasure. They shall be past Presidents or members whom the Society wishes to honour. Vice-Presidents may attend Committee meetings but have no voting rights.

7. POWERS OF THE COMMITTEE

(i)	The Committee shall have full power to administer all monies belonging to the Society and employ such monies as they see fit for the benefit of the Society, excluding single donations given for a specific clause. (ii)	The Committee shall have the right to refuse or withdraw membership of the Society. (iii)	The Committee shall have the power to require any member or non-society member to leave an event, if in the opinion of two or more members of the Committee, the safety of other members, and /or non members and/or spectators is in any way endangered, or the dog, horse, pony or other driven or ridden animal is suffering distress or misuse. (iv)	The Committee shall have the power to co-opt members onto the Committee in the event of positions becoming vacant between Annual General Meetings. Those co-opted shall only hold office until the next AGM of the Society at which an election of Officers and Committee takes place. (v)	The Committee’s decision on all matters with which they are competent to deal under these Rules shall be final. (vi)	The Committee shall have the power to set up sub-committees for specific designated purposes. The Committee may co-opt members of the Society to such sub-committees and each sub-committee shall be chaired by a member of the committee and be responsible to the committee. (vii)	The Committee is ultimately responsible for the organisation of any event run under the banner of The British Carriage Dog Society. A sub-committee may be formed, with responsibilities as defined by the Committee as per (vi) above, as appropriate, to aid in the smooth running, before, during and after any event. (viii)	The Rules of the Trials may not be altered except by the Committee. Notice of requests for changes to the rules must be made in writing and may be considered by the Committee at the next appropriate meeting. Notice of changes to rules must be made to the membership in the minutes of the meeting at which changes were agreed. Changes will not come into force until six months after the meeting at which the change was agreed, or the day after the next scheduled Trials, whichever is latest. A revised copy of the Rules shall be made available to all Members of the Society.

8.GENERAL

(i)	All monies of the Society shall be deposited in a banking account in the name of the Society with two signatories to sign for all withdrawals. (ii)	The accounts for the previous financial year shall be presented to the members of the Society with the notice of the AGM. (iii)	All expenses incurred by the Secretary and Treasurer for an on behalf of the Society, or other members as approved by the Committee shall be defrayed by the Society out of funds. (v)	Any resolutions proposing an alteration to the Society’s Constitution and Rules shall be given to the Secretary in writing at least twenty eight days prior to the AGM.

Revised July 2011 Revised July 2013

BRITISH CARRIAGE DOG SOCIETY

FEES

Joining Fee		£5.00

Single			£9.00

Family/Joint		£14.00

Junior			£7.00

Overseas		(As above if email) If by post £15.00

Subscriptions fall due 1st April in each year, any lapsed memberships renewed on or after the 30th April shall be subject to a rejoining fee.

Joining fee will be waived for any subscription paid by standing order.

Revised July 2009 Revised July 2013

To download a copy of the Society's Constitution and Rules click[[Media:Constitution_and_rules_2013a.doc| here]]. Shift and click for new window.'''