Constitution

The Constitution of Cymdeithas Hanes Teuluoedd Gwynedd Family History Society

1. Title

The title of the society shall be "CYMDElTHAS HANES TEULUOEDD GWYNEDD / GWYNEDD FAMILY HISTORY SOCIETY, hereinafter called the "Society".

2. Language

Both Welsh and English shall have equal status in the work of the Society.

3. Address

The address of the Society shall be that of the Registered Office.

4. Area

The area of interest shall include Ynys Mon / Anglesey, Arfon, Dwyfor, Meirionnydd and that part of Conwy coming under the old County of Gwynedd as defined by the Local Government Wales Act 1972.

5. Objectives

The objectives of the Society shall be to promote for the benefit, information and education of the public the study of genealogy, heraldry, family history and local history in the ‘Area’

In furtherance of this, but not otherwise, the Society may:

i) Print and publish a Journal hereinafter to be known as Gwreiddiau Gwynedd Roots.

ii) Arrange a programme or lectures, visits and other activities.

iii) Hold and maintain a library of printed and other works for the use of the Society’s Members.

iv) Pursue collaborative actions with similar societies and with established supportive bodies such as churches, libraries, record offices and educational institutions.

v) Seek out, transcribe, index and wherever possible publish material.

vi) Collect monies through the medium of subscriptions, gifts, grants and by any other lawful means.

vii) Do all other lawful things that are necessary for the attainment of the above objectives.

viii) Affiliate to and support the activities of the Federation of Family History Societies in its pursuit of these and similar activities.

The Society shall seek and maintain its Charitable status as a Charity recognised by the Charity Commissioners.

6. Management

i) The management of the Society shall be vested in a Committee, hereinafter called the “Committee”, consisting of Officers as defined in clause 9 and up to 2 representatives from each branch.

ii) There shall be at least four Committee meetings in each calendar year.

iii) Five members shall form a quorum.

7. Membership

i) Membership shall be open to all who support the aims and objectives of the Society and who have paid their annual subscriptions for that year.

ii) Members will be entitled to hold office, to vote at the Annual General Meeting, and to receive free copies of the Society’s journal that year

iii) The Committee may refuse an application for membership, refuse an application to renew membership or suspend from membership or terminate membership of any person whose activities or behaviour, in its opinion, are prejudicial to the Society’s aims and objectives and / or good name. These members shall have the right to present their case to the Committee in writing or in person.

iv) Classes of Membership

a) Individual Membership – entitles an individual to attend meetings and other activities of the Society, to receive “Gwreiddiau Gwynedd Roots”, and to vote at the Annual General meeting.

b) Family Membership – entitles two or more persons residing at the same address to attend meetings and other activities of the Society, and to receive one copy of “Gwreiddiau Gwynedd Roots”, but each person shall be entitled to vote at the Annual General meeting.

c) Institutional Membership – entitles an institution to send representatives to attend meetings and other activities of the Society, and to receive “Gwreiddiau Gwynedd Roots”. One representative may vote at the Annual General meeting.

d) Overseas Membership - entitles an individual who resides outside the UK to receive “Gwreiddiau Gwynedd Roots”, and to vote at the Annual General meeting.

8. Subscriptions

i) The subscription rates for Membership of the Society shall be proposed by the Committee and approved by the Annual General Meeting.

ii) The Subscriptions shall become due on the first day of January of each year.

iii) A member who has not paid this subscription by 31st January of the current year shall cease to be a member of the Society until such subscription is paid.

iv) Subscriptions shall be paid to the Membership Secretary of the Society who shall keep a register of current members.

9. Administration

i) The Officers shall be the Chairman, Vice-Chairman, General Secretary, and Treasurer who shall be elected at the Annual General Meeting.

ii) The society may elect a President who shall be an ex-officio member of the Committee,

iii) The Committee shall appoint a Journal Editor, Membership Secretary, Publications Officer, and other officials as may be appropriate, who shall become Members of the Committee.

iv) The Committee may appoint sub-committees to deal with particular matters. A member of the Committee must chair these sub-committees. All acts and proceedings of such sub-committees shall be fully and promptly reported back to the Committee.

v) The Committee shall have the power to fill any casual vacancies arising in the Committee.

vi) The Officers shall be elected annually, and their term of office shall commence with the declaration of election results at the Annual General Meeting. Nomination of fully paid-up members proposed as Officers shall be submitted in writing to the General Secretary 7 (seven) days before the Annual General Meeting and such nominations should include a declaration of willingness to stand for election.

vii) The electorate shall consist of all fully paid-up members of the Society and voting will be conducted at the Annual General Meeting.

viii) The Officers and all members of the Committee shall be Trustees of the Society.

10. Finance

i) The Society's financial year shall end on the 31st of December and the Audited/Examined accounts shall be submitted to the Committee at least 28 days before the Annual General Meeting.

ii) The Society shall cause proper books and accounts to be kept with respect to all sums of money received and expended by the Society and assets held by the Society and the matters in respect of which those receipts and expenditure take place.

iii) All cheques shall be signed by two persons from amongst a set of four designated by the Committee for this purpose; one of these two persons shall normally be the Treasurer.

iv) The Society’s accounts shall eb prepared annually and shall be subject to Audit or Independent Examination.

v) The Treasurer shall present at the Annual General meeting a statement pf Accounts audited or examined to the end of the previous December.

vi) The income and property of the Society, wheresoever derived, shall be applied solely towards the promotion and the execution of the objectives of the society. No portion thereof shall be paid or transferred, directly or indirectly, in any manner by way of profit to any member of the Committee or Society, notwithstanding any ex-gratia gifts made to retiring officers following appropriate voluntary Society service, providing that nothing herein shall prevent the payment in good faith of reasonable and proper repayment of out-of-pocket expenses incurred on behalf of the Society.

11. The Annual General Meeting

i) The Society shall hold an Annual General Meeting within 6 (six) months of the end of its financial year. Notification will be given at least 21 days prior to the event.

ii) The Annual General Meeting shall be held at such time and place in the Area as shall be decided by the Committee.

iii) The business of the Annual General Meeting shall be to receive reports of the activities of the past year, receive and approve the Audited/Examined accounts of the previous year, elect the Officers, and transact any other business on the Agenda

iv) If the number of nominations exceeds the vacancies, the election shall be by ballot

v) Twenty-five of the Society's Members present at the Annual General Meeting shall constitute a quorum

vi) Only paid-up members of the Society present at the Annual General Meeting shall be entitled to vote. Proxy or postal votes shall not be acceptable.

vii) Voting on resolutions at the Annual General Meeting shall normally be by a show of hands. At the discretion of the Chairman voting may be conducted by secret ballot. If there is no majority, the Chairman of the meeting shall have the casting vote.

12. Extraordinary General Meeting

i) The Committee shall have the power to call an Extraordinary General Meeting and shall do so if required by forty members in writing.

ii) No business other than that for which the meeting has been called shall be transacted.

iii) Rules for the procedure for an Extraordinary General Meeting shall be similar to those of the Annual General Meeting.

13. Branches

The Committee shall have the power to establish Branches for the furtherance of the Society’s aims. Each Branch so established shall comply with and be subject to the following regulations.

i) Any Branch established shall act in pursuance of the aims and policies of the Society and shall be subject to such conditions as shall from time to time be laid down by the Society’s Committee.

ii) The Branches shall be deemed to have adopted the rules for Branches prescribed from time to time by the Society’s Committee.

iii) The Society may provide funds to a Branch. No Branch may levy its own Branch membership subscription.

iv) A Branch will open a bank account which shall be run in accordance with the rules laid out by the Society.

v) Any monies in the Branch account which remain from the above funds after Branch expenses have been met shall remain at all times the monies of the Society. The Branch shall keep accounts in such a form as shall be laid down by the Society’s Committee.

vi) All material, either printed or stored on microfilm or electronically, and any other assets purchased by the Branch shall be assets of the Society.

vii) A Branch may be suspended at any time by the Society’s Committee.

14. Alterations to the Society’s Rules

Any proposed alterations to the Society’s Constitution shall be notified in writing at least twenty-eight (28) days before the Annual General Meeting and shall only be adopted if sanctioned by at least two-thirds of the Members present and voting. No alterations shall be made to the above Constitution which would cause the Society to cease to be a Charity in Law.

15. General

i) A special Executive Committee may be called by the Chairman or by three members of the Committee, with reasonable notice being given to all Committee members.

ii) At the discretion of the Chairman, voting in the Committee may be conducted by secret ballot. If there is no majority, the Chairman of the meeting shall have the casting vote.

iii) The Society shall admit to its excursions and meetings, members of kindred societies which extend similar privileges to Cymdeithas Hanes Teuluoedd Gwynedd Family History Society.

16. Dissolution of the Society

The Society may be dissolved by a resolution of not less than three-quarters of those members present with voting rights at either an Annual General Meeting or an Extraordinary General Meeting called for the purpose and for which twenty-eight days prior notice has been given in writing. Such a resolution may give instructions for the disposal of any assets held by the Society after debts and liabilities have been paid, the balance left to be transferred to some other charitable institution or institutions having objectives similar to those of the Society in line with the requirements of the Charity Commissioners.

17. Interpretation of, or cases not covered by this Constitution

If any ambiguity should arise in the interpretation of this Constitution or any case arise not provided for herein, the Committee shall decide it and report back to the next Annual General Meeting.

Last Revised: May, 2006