Introduction:

The Constitution of the Club is the legal document that defines what the Club may do, how it is administered and the rights of individual members. It is of necessity a somewhat formal document, but you are encouraged to read it when first joining the Club, as it does explain what you are, and are not allowed, to do whilst at the Club's premises. We do plan to issue a more readable 'Do's and Don'ts' version soon, but meantime - and in any case in the event of a dispute - it is the full Constitution that matters, a copy of which is below - clicking on the link will open the document in a separate window.

Should you have an queries about the Constitution, or the interpretation of it, do please contact the Honary Secretary at secretary@ardleighsc.co.uk

Planned change to the Constitution:

Because the Constitution is such an important document for the Club, there are strict rules about the procedure that must be followed if changes need to be made to it, which of course over time does occur. Whilst the Constitution can be changed at an Annual General Meeting, it is more normal for it to be done at a Special General Meeting, and one of these has been called for just this purpose, and will held on Sunday 18th. December 2012 at 14:00 in the Dry lounge of the Clubhouse. The Constitution detailed below, will show you the existing version, along with the planned changes, which whilst not extensive, are important. In summary they are:

• Change the commencement of the Membership year from the 1st. January to the 1st. March, along with various other linked date changes, e.g. the cessation of Membership if fees remain unpaid.
• Change the requirement to hold the AGM in February rather than the current December.
• Allow for Renewal and Formal Notices, e.g. about the convening of an SGM or AGM, to be sent by email or Postal Mail, though please note the intent is to use email in all normal circumstances
• Alter the current requirement to display Applicant Member's full details on the Notice board, to that of a reduced amount of information, e.g. 'Location' rather than full address, no need to display Children's names and Dates of Birth, etc.
• Allow for Applicant Members to be able to use the Club immediately after paying all Dues as a Temporary member, pending formal approval of the application by the Committee at its next Monthly meeting.

Proposed Constitution v 1.02 - to be voted on at SGM to be held 18th. December 2012