CRICH COMRADES CLUB

Terms of Service NAME The Club shall be called the Comrades Club (Crich) Limited. OBJECTS 2. The objects of the Club shall be to carry on the business of the Club proprietors by providing for the use of members the means of social intercourse, mutual helpfulness, mental and moral improvement, rational recreation and the other advantages of a Club. ​ REGISTERED OFFICE 3. The Registered Office of the Club shall be at School Lane, Market Place, Crich, Derbyshire DE4 5DF USE OF NAME 4. The registered name of the Club shall be kept painted or affixed on the outside of every office or place in which the business of the Club is carried on, in a conspicuous position in letters easily legible, and shall be mentioned on all notices, advertisements and other official publications of the Club, and on all bills, invoices, receipts and letters of credit of the Club. ​ 5. The Club shall have full power to do all things necessary to expedient for the accomplishment of all objects specified in its rule, including the power to purchase, hold, sell, mortgage, rent, lease or sub-lease, pull down, repair, alter or otherwise deal with any building thereon. ADMISSION OF MEMBERS AND SUBSCRIPTIONS 6. All persons of not less than eighteen years of age shall be eligible for membership. ​ 7. Every applicant for membership must sign an application form and a declaration of his or her concurrence with and adherence to the purposes and rules of the Club as shall be required by the Committee. The present name and address telephone number and e mail address of each candidate shall be supplied with the application at least two days prior to his or her name being submitted to the Committee for his or her election. Every member shall be supplied on election with a copy of the Rules. ​ 8. The initial fee shall be such sum as the Committee may from time to time determine. The annual subscription shall also be determined from time to time by the Committee ​ 9. All annual subscriptions shall be payable on the 1st January in each year. ​ 10. Persons joining the Club after August 31st of each year will be entitled to a reduction in subscription fees, pro rata for the remaining 4 months of the year thereafter as determined by the committee. ​ 11. If any member shall fail to pay their annual subscription on or before the 31st January next after it has become due, notice shall be sent to him or her calling their attention thereto. If such subscription be not paid on or before the 31st March they shall cease to be a member of the Club. ​ 12. Temporary membership is available to holiday makers and visitors to the area and can be authorised and issued by any committee member or employed bar staff. The fee shall be such sum as the committee may from time to time determine. No temporary membership is to be authorised or permitted to persons who live within Crich Parish. No person whose application for membership has been rejected or who has been suspended or expelled shall be issued with temporary membership. Temporary members shall be entitled to the use and full privileges of the Club; however they will not be permitted to stand for election to the committee or vote in any election or for any resolution or issue in connection with the Club. ​ 13. The committee shall have the power to issueHonorary Membership to persons whom they deem fit and deserving in recognition of their contributions to the running of the Club. All staff on the payroll of the Club shall be offered Honorary Membership whilst in the employ of the Club. All Honorary Members shall be entitled to the use and full privileges of the Club, however they will not be permitted to stand for election to the committee or vote in any election or for any resolution or issue regarding the Club. ​ 14. The Committee shall have power to reprimand, suspend, or expel any member who shall infringe any rule, or whose conduct whether within or without the Club house shall in their opinion render him or her unfit for membership; but no member shall be suspended or expelled without being first summoned before the Committee to explain his or her conduct and opportunity given to advance a defence, a majority of two thirds of the Committee present then shall vote his or her suspension or expulsion. Every member so summoned shall receive at least three clear days notice in writing from the Secretary; such notice shall contain a statement of the charge brought against them. A suspended member shall be liable to pay their subscription. ADVERTISMENTS 15. All advertisements of the Club functions or entertainments shall carry a notice stating that the admission will be limited to members and bona fide guests only. SALES IN ACCORDANCE WITH CHAPTER 17, LICENSING ACT, 2003 16. In accordance with Chapter 17, Part 4 of the Licensing Act, 2003 there may be admitted to the Club persons who are not members of the Club or the guests of such members for the purpose of formally organised occasions, and persons who are not members of the Club admitted in connection with such functions may, if they have attained the age of eighteen years, purchase or consume on the premises intoxicating liquor, provided that the number of any such functions held in a calendar year shall be limited to fifteen, and to hold such functions a Temporary Events Notice must be applied for no later than 10 working days before the event to the licensing authority. Any advertisement relating to this category of functions need not comply with the requirements of rule 16. MANAGEMENT OF THE CLUB 17. The General Meeting of members shall be held in March of each year on a date fixed by the Committee, of which at least ten days notice, with an agenda of business to be conducted at such meeting shall be posted in the Club to receive a Statement of Accounts and Balance Sheet and the report of the auditors from the previous year and such other business as may be submitted by the Committee, or by any member who shall have given notice in writing of the motion he or she proposes to make, at least nine days before the date of such meeting; and at the meeting a report of the Committee for the year shall be presented. 18. The Committee may at any time for any special purpose call a special general meeting, and shall do so as soon as practicable upon requisition in writing of any thirty members stating the purposes for which the meeting is required. The meeting shall be called with the notices required by rule 17. 19. At all general and special meetings of the Club the Chairman, or in his absence a member selected by the Committee, shall take the chair. Every member present shall be entitled to one vote on every motion, and in the case of an equality of votes the chairman shall not have a second or casting vote. 20. The quorum at any special/general meeting shall be at least twenty five. 21. The management of the Club (except as otherwise provided by these rules) shall be deputed to a management Committee (throughout these rules referred to as “the Committee” , consisting of: Not more than ten members elected at the annual general meeting. The Chairman, Vice Chairman, Secretary and Treasurer, all of who shall be ex officio members of the Committee, elected at the annual general meeting. The quorum at any Committee meeting shall be five. The Chairman will not have a casting vote and the persons appointed Secretary and Treasurer shall not be entitled to vote. At the annual general meeting all of the elected members of the Committee shall retire, but shall be eligible for re-election. 22. The Committee shall have the power to make such byelaws as it may consider necessary for the good government and order of the Club, providing that no such by-laws shall conflict with any of the rules. A copy of all such byelaws shall be posted in a conspicuous place within the Club House. 23. The Committee shall have the power to appoint a member to fill any casual vacancy on the Committee until the next annual general meeting but shall be eligible for election as a member of the Committee at such meetings. 24. Any member of the Committee not attending for three consecutive meetings shall unless he or she send an explanation which the Committee shall, consider satisfactory, cease to be a member of the Committee. Any member who shall cease to be a financial member or who is in arrears with subscription shall cease to be a member of the Committee. MEETING OF THE MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE AND APPOINTMENT OF SUB-COMMITTEES 25. The Committee shall meet at least once in every month to examine the accounts and arrange the affairs of the Club. Minutes shall be taken of all the proceedings of the Committee, and shall be open to inspection for any member of the Club applying to the Secretary. 26. The Committee shall at the first meeting following each election, select a Sub- Committee who shall be called the Finance Committee. It shall consist of three persons together with the honorary officers and it shall be the duty of the Finance Committee to take record of the stock of goods held by the Club on the first day of each month, either themselves or by an agent duly appointed; check all demands for payment with the order book of the Club, and with the delivery notes and invoices and to report to the whole Committee as to the correctness of the returns made to the Club. It shall see that the vouchers produced by the Secretary for all payments made by him or by order of the Committee are in order and that the cash book, treasurer’s books, and bank accounts are correct. The proceedings of the Finance Committee shall be recorded by the Secretary in a minute book. All cheques drawn upon the Clubs account shall be signed by at least one member of the sub-committee other than, or as well as an honorary officer. 27. The purchase of intoxicating liquor for the Club and the supply of intoxicating liquor shall be managed by the Finance Committee. Any member ceasing to be a member of the Committee shall automatically cease to be a member of the Finance Committee, and another elected member of the Committee shall be appointed in his or her place. BYELAWS AND REGULATIONS 28. The Committee may from time to time make, repeal and amend all such byelaws and regulations (not inconsistent with these rules) as they shall think expedient for the management and well being of the Club, and may thereby impose reasonable fines not exceeding £5 (five pounds) for any breach of the same. Any member who incurred a fine shall be notified thereof by the Secretary, and required to pay the same forthwith, and in default of his or her paying the same within one month from the date of such notice shall cease to be a member. All byelaws and regulations made by the Committee under this rule shall be binding upon the members until repealed by the Committee, or set aside by a resolution of a general meeting of the Club. SECRETARY AND OTHER SERVANTS 29. The Committee shall have power to appoint, pay and dismiss a Secretary, Treasurer, or such other servants as they may deem necessary. ANNUAL RETURNS TO REGISTRAR 30. Every year, the Secretary shall send to the Registrar the annual return in the form and at the time prescribed by the Chief Registrar of Friendly Societies of the receipts and expenditure, funds and effects of the Club. The Secretary shall together with the annual return, send a copy of the auditor’s report and a copy of each balance sheet made during the period included in the return. The return shall also state the audit was conducted by a duly appointed auditor, by whom and shall state the manner in which and the authority under which he was appointed. 31.It shall be the right of any member to inspect at the Registered Office or wherever the same shall be kept the minute books, book of accounts and returns of the Club at all reasonable times and it shall be the duty of the Secretary to produce the same for inspection. LOANS 32. The Committee may obtain advances of money for the purpose of the Club upon the security of bonds, or agreements, or promissory notes or certificates of indebtedness on account of loan stock as provided hereafter. The total amount so obtained shall be any amount not exceeding £20,000 as may from time to time be fixed by any general meeting. The Committee may take any such loan on such terms as to the rate and manner of repayment as it thinks fit, but the rate of interest agreed to be given on any such advance shall not exceed such sum as may be fixed by resolution of the general meeting. Any bond of the Club may be made a specific charge upon the land of the Club specified therein or in any schedule thereto but a separate register shall be kept of all such bonds. All such securities shall be made in such form and shall be signed on account of the Club by such persons as the Committee may from time to time direct. AUDIT 33. The accounts of the Club shall as soon as practicable after the end of the financial year be audited by a public auditor appointed under the Industrial and Provident Societies Act, by the Committee. A copy of the balance sheets for the year ending on the previous 31st December with the reports of the auditor shall be posted in the registered office of the Club at least two days before the general meeting and shall be kept hung up in a conspicuous place as the said office. The auditor shall not hold any other office in connection with the Club. INVESTMENT 34. The Committee may invest the funds of the Club at such rate of interest and on such terms as they see fit. STATUTORY APPLICATIONS TO THE REGISTRAR 35. Any ten members of the Club, each of whom has been a member for not less than one year immediately preceding the date of the application, may apply to the Registrar in the form prescribed by the Treasury Regulations to appoint an actuary or accountant to inspect the books of the Club and to report thereon. 36. It shall be the right of one tenth of the whole membership, by application in writing to the Chief Registrar, signed by them in prescribed regulations, to apply for the appointment of an inspector to examine into the affairs of the Club and to report thereon; or to apply for the calling of a special meeting of the Club. 37. The Club may at any time be dissolved by the consent of three quarters of the members, testified by their signatures to an instrument of dissolution in the form provided by Treasury Regulations or by the winding up in manner provided by the Industrial and Provident Societies Acts. CONDUCT OF ELECTIONS 38. The election of Officers and the Committee shall be by ballot. At least three weeks before the day fixed for any ballot, a nomination sheet shall be posted in the registered office by the Secretary, on which all candidates for any office must be entered, Nominations for candidates of officers of the Club must be made no later than 3 days before the date set for an Annual or Extraordinary General meeting. Any member shall be eligible for nomination only after he shall have been a financial member of at least six calendar months standing and must be proposed and seconded by two financial members. No candidate shall be nominated for more than one office, and nothing in this clause contained shall have any bearing or effect on the nomination or election of the joint Officers or Committee of the Club. 39. The ballot shall be carried out under the direction of the Committee by three scrutinisers appointed by the general meeting, but who may not be candidates, members of the Committee or Officers. 40.Each financial member of the Club shall have one vote for each vacancy, but no member may give more than one vote to any one candidate. 41. Should the ballot result in a tie, the names of the candidates who have equal votes, shall be written on slips of paper, and in the presence of the scrutinisers, shall then be drawn and the name so drawn shall be declared duly elected. 42. No immediate family member of the Steward/Stewardess of the Club shall be permitted to serve as a member of the Committee. 43. No more than two members of any one family shall be permitted to stand to serve as members of the Committee at the same time. MISCONDUCT OF MEMBERS AND DISPUTES 44. All disputes between a member and an Officer of the Club, or the Club shall be settled by the Committee whose decision shall be final. 45. No gambling (save such as may be permitted by law), drunkenness, bad language or other misconduct shall be permitted on the Club premises. Any member offending under this rule shall be dealt with under rule 14. VISITORS 46. Subject to any byelaws, a member shall be entitled to introduce guests to the Club, provided that no person whose application for membership has been rejected or who has been suspended or expelled shall be introduced as a guest. A member shall not introduce more than four guests on any one occasion, and no person shall be admitted as a guest more than once per calendar month. The member introducing a guest shall be responsible for the good conduct of such guest, and that their name is properly entered in the visitor’s book. Any Officer of the Club shall have the discretion at all times to refuse admission to members guests if admission of such guests would result in members being deprived of the facilities of the Club or such admission would not be in the interests of members. 47. Any persons who are competitors, players or officials or who assist in any game sponsored or authorised by or on behalf of the Club shall be entitled to use the Club premises on the date of the games and during that day, those who have attained the age of eighteen years may purchase and consume intoxicating liquor in the Club premises. They shall not however be entitled to any other rights or privileges in connection with the Club. The names of such visitors shall be entered in the visitor’s book and countersigned by an ordinary member of the Club. 48. The visitor’s book shall be retained by the Secretary for a period of not less than one year after the last entry made in it. PRIVATE BENEFIT OR PROFIT TO MEMBERS DISALLOWED 49. No member shall, except for professional services rendered at the request of the Committee, or on any pretence or, in any manner receive any profit, salary or emoluments from the Club. 50. No person shall be entitled to receive at the expense of the Club, or any member thereof, any commission percentage or similar payment on or with reference to purchases of intoxicating liquor by the Club, nor shall any person directly or indirectly derive any pecuniary benefit from the supply of intoxicating liquor by or on behalf of the Club to members or guests apart from any benefit accruing to the Club as a whole and apart also from any benefit which a person derives indirectly by reason of the supply giving rise to contributing to general gain from the carrying on of the Club. 51. No member shall give the address of the Club in any advertisement, or use the Club address for business purposes. OPENING OF THE CLUB PREMISES 52. The Club premises shall be opened to members daily between such hours as the Committee shall from time to time determine; but the Committee may close it for such times as they may deem necessary for cleaning and repairs or staff holidays. PERMITTED HOURS FOR THE SALE OF INTOXICANTS 53. The permitted hours for the supply of intoxicating liquor shall be fixed and may be varied from time to time by the Committee in accordance with the statutory provisions for the time being in force. 54. There shall be no supply of intoxicating liquor for consumption off the premises, except directly to a member in person who has attained the age of eighteen years. 55. The Committee shall cause a notice stating the permitted hours currently operative to be prominently displayed within the Club premises. 56. There shall be no sale or supply of intoxicating liquor to any person under the age of eighteen years admitted to the Club premises. Neither shall such persons be allowed to consume intoxicating liquor on the Club premises. 57. There shall be no sale or supply of intoxicating liquor other than to persons admitted to the Club premises in accordance with these rules. MEMBERS PRIVATE FUNCTIONS 58. In the event of a member wishing to hold a function on Club premises the committee has the authority to close one or both of the side rooms of the Club for the duration of such function. The extra cost of employing bar staff to facilitate such functions held at the Club should be met by the providers of such functions. 59. The facilities of the Club shall continue to be free of charge for the use of members of the Club and their families for wakes or post funeral gatherings, but that the Club reserves the right to charge for the provision of food and extra bar staff for such functions. TEMPORARY EVENTS 60. The Club may conduct business off the premises within and on behalf of the Clubs name. The said business shall be temporary events and outside bars or any licensable activity within the Clubs remit. To hold such event a Temporary Events Notice must be applied for no later than 10 working days before the event to licensing authority. SERVING MEMBERS OF ARMED/MILITARY FORCES 61. Due to the Clubs heritage and that we were originally founded in 1921 by members of ‘The Great War Association’ (now known as The Royal British Legion). Any serving member of the armed/military services will be issued and welcomed with Honorary Guest Membership to the Club. This is in response and in light of a recent nationwide effort to honour our armed and military personnel. Crich Comrades Club Bye-Laws