St James Lunch Club Constitution

January 2025

Objective

The objective of the Club is to provide enjoyable social opportunities for local women to meet others with interesting life experiences, to provide mutual companionship and support and to make new lasting friendships.

Membership

The number of members is limited to 60. Members are drawn from the small towns and villages of North Dorset, South Somerset and South West Wiltshire.  Members are asked to consent to their contact details being held in the password protected members’ area of the website.

The Club will accommodate as far as possible the needs of members with a disability.

Members should try to attend at least six meetings in any year. Very exceptional circumstances will be treated with understanding.

A non-refundable annual subscription is paid by BACS in November. New members who join from June onwards will be charged pro rata.

Written notice of resignation should be sent or handed to the Vice-President by the end of September.

Prospective members, whether introduced by an existing member or not, should attend two lunches as a guest before applying for membership. Prospective members will be asked to complete an application form which will be made available to the Committee before membership is offered.

Club Rules prohibit members from using the Club for charity work, collections or sales.

All members are encouraged to suggest speakers or venues for outings.

We hope members will take a turn in running the club by volunteering to join the Committee in due course.

Lunches

Lunches, usually followed by a speaker, are held each month at 12.15pm for 12.45pm at a local restaurant, except in June and August. A Summer lunch is held at a special venue in July and an annual outing takes place in May or June.

Members may invite a friend or prospective member to a lunch provided numbers permit.

Members must book their attendance at lunches online, choose their menu and pay by BACS by the stipulated date before the lunch takes place. No refunds will be made if attendance is cancelled after this date.

Every effort will be made to accommodate the needs of those with medically diagnosed allergies. A choice of dishes is provided to cater for those who prefer not to eat particular foods.

Name badges, provided by the Club, must be worn on arrival and replaced in boxes on leaving. Members are randomly allocated a table indicated by a laminated letter card which is handed out on arrival and collected at the end of the lunch.

Members who are unable to stay for the talk should leave before the speaker begins their presentation.

Running the Club

The Club’s annual general meeting is held at the November lunch.  This is the first meeting of the Club’s year.

Any change to the Constitution will require an EGM to be held or can be made at the AGM. The committee can request an EGM or, alternatively, an EGM can be requested by 25% of Club members.

Resolutions at an AGM or EGM must be voted on by a quorum of at least 25% of all members. Outcomes will be determined by a simple majority of members present demonstrated by a show of hands.

The Committee. The Committee comprises a minimum of 6 people and a maximum of 10 people.  The quorum is 5 people.  The committee may, at any time, co-opt an additional member on a short-term basis if they have a particular skill set or area of interest.

The Committee usually has 8 members: President, Vice-President, Treasurer, Lunch Secretary, Speaker Secretary, Events Secretary, Minutes Secretary and the Webmaster.  At the AGM the president and those officers who have completed four years’ service retire and are numerically replaced.  They may stand for re-election after two years have elapsed.  The previous year’s Vice-President becomes the new President.  There may be the occasional exception to these rules.

Committee Members. Committee members are nominated by members at the October lunch.  If there are more candidates than vacancies, elections are held at the AGM.

Committee Appointments including that of the Vice-President are made at the inaugural meeting of the new committee held directly after the AGM.

All Committee Members are collectively and individually aware of and responsive to data protection requirements.

This constitution will be reviewed and updated, if necessary, no later than October 2026.

Appendix 1 – Committee Responsibilities

Presides at all meetings.  Keeps the membership informed of Club matters.  Writes a welcome letter to all new members reminding them of the benefits and obligations of membership.  Acts as the main ambassador for the Club.

Vice-President. Supports the President and stands in for her when necessary.  Responsible for member liaison including resignations, acknowledgement of those who are unwell, news and suggestions.  Informs the Webmaster of new members’ details and resignations. 

Checks that members’ subscriptions and lunch bookings are paid by BACS by the due date.  Banks any cheques or cash received for the Club.  Pays all Club expenditure.  Records all Club financial transactions, prepares income and expenditure statement, reports to Club committee and to the AGM.

Lunch Secretary. Liaises with lunch venues to select menus and negotiate costs, informs venue of numbers, menu choices, table layout and audio-visual requirements.  Obtains approval by the committee to any proposed changes to agreed costs or menu formats. Liaises with Webmaster to ensure that lunch dates, venues and menu options are updated on the website in timely fashion.  Emails members each month with details of the next lunch meeting.  Monitors take up of lunches and emails members with reminders if necessary.

Speaker Secretaries 1 and 2. Secretary 1 finds and liaises with guest speakers to agree fees and arrangements on the day.  Submits proposed list of speakers for the year ahead for approval by the Committee.  Secretary 2 greets the speaker on arrival and introduces them to the President.  Assists speaker to set up their equipment.  Introduces the speaker after lunch and arranges with a member to give a vote of thanks.  Writes to thank the speaker afterwards.

Events Secretary. Researches and discusses potential events/outings with the Club committee, organises the event and leads it on the day.

Minutes Secretary. Takes the minutes of meetings and once these are approved by the President, distributes them to committee members as soon as is reasonably possible after the meeting. Takes the minutes of the AGM, ensures the draft is approved by the outgoing President and distributes them to members at the AGM.

Webmaster. Works with web designers where necessary to ensure functionality and search engine optimisation, to implement any changes and to arrange training for three Club members on content management.  Responsible for the timely updating of all information on the website including lunches, events, images, members’ contact details and news.