The Messenger

Darwell Messenger – constitution

1 Name

The name of the group shall be “The Darwell Messenger Magazine” (“The Group”)

2 Aims

The aims of the Darwell Messenger Magazine will be:

  • To publish a magazine containing information of interest to residents of the four parishes of Brightling, Dallington, Mountfield and Netherfield in East Sussex (“The Four Villages”)
  • To promote the general welfare of The Four Villages.

3 Membership

All subscribers to the magazine will automatically become members.  

The magazine subscription will be agreed at the Annual General Meeting (AGM).

Subscriptions are due annually in advance, on 1st April, covering the April through March issues of the coming year.  Anyone not paying their subscription within 3 months of the due date will cease to be a member.

4 Equal Opportunities

The Darwell Messenger Magazine will not discriminate on the grounds of gender, race, colour, ethnic or national origin, sexuality, disability, religious or political belief, marital status or age.

5 Officers and committee

The business of The Group will be carried out by a Committee elected at the Annual General Meeting. The Committee will meet as necessary and not less than once per year.

The Committee will consist of 6 officers. Up to 2 additional members may be co-opted onto the committee at the discretion of the committee.

The officers’ roles are as follows:

  • Chair, who shall chair both general and committee meetings
  • Secretary, who shall be responsible for the taking of minutes and the distribution of all papers
  • Distribution manager, who shall be responsible for organizing the sale and distribution of the magazine
  • Treasurer who shall be responsible for maintaining accounts
  • Editor, who shall be responsible for the content of the magazine
  • Advertising organizer, who shall be responsible for the sale and production of the advertisements in the magazine.

In the event of an officer standing down during the year a replacement will be elected by the next General Meeting of members.

The Committee meetings will be open to any member of The Group wishing to attend, who may speak but not vote.

6 Meetings

6.1 Annual General Meetings

An Annual General Meeting (AGM) will be held within fifteen months of the previous AGM.

All members will be notified in writing at least 3 weeks before the date of the meeting, giving the venue, date and time.

Nominations for the committee may be made to the Secretary before the meeting, or at the meeting.

The quorum for the AGM will be 5 members.

At the AGM:-

  • The Committee will present a report of the work of The Darwell Messenger Magazine over the year.
  • The Committee will present the accounts of The Darwell Messenger Magazine for the previous year.
  • The officers and Committee for the next year will be elected.

Any proposals given to the Secretary at least 7 days in advance of the meeting will be discussed.

6.2 Special General Meetings

The Secretary will call a Special General Meeting at the request of the majority of the committee or at least eight other members giving a written request to the Chair or Secretary stating the reason for their request.

The meeting will take place within twenty-one days of the request.

All members will be given two weeks’ notice of such a meeting, giving the venue, date, time and agenda, and notice may be by telephone, email, post, notice in the Darwell Messenger magazine, or announcement on the Darwell Messenger web site.

The quorum for the Special General Meeting will be 12 members.

6.3 Committee Meetings

Committee meetings may be called by the Chair or Secretary. Committee members must receive notice of meetings at least 7 days before the meeting.

The quorum for Committee meetings is three Committee members.

7   Rules of Procedure for meetings

All questions that arise at any meeting will be discussed openly and the meeting will seek to find general agreement that everyone present can agree to.

If a consensus cannot be reached a vote will be taken and a decision will be made by a simple majority of members present. If the number of votes cast on each side is equal, the chair of the meeting shall have an additional casting vote.

Any offensive behaviour, including racist, sexist or inflammatory remarks, will not be permitted. Anyone behaving in an offensive way or breaking the equal opportunities policy may be asked not to attend further meetings or to resign from The Group if an apology is not given or the behaviour is repeated. The individual concerned shall have the right to be heard by the management committee, accompanied by a friend, before a final decision is made.

8 Finances

An account will be maintained on behalf of The Group at a bank agreed by the committee. Three cheque signatories will be nominated by the Committee (one to be the Treasurer).  The signatories must not be related nor members of the same household.

All payments will be signed by one of the signatories.

For cheque payments, the signatories will sign the cheque.

For other payments (such as BACS payments, cash withdrawals, debit card payments or cash payments), a requisition note will be signed by two signatories, and held by the treasurer.

Records of income and expenditure will be maintained by the Treasurer and a financial statement given at each meeting.

All money raised by or on behalf of The Group is only to be used to further the aims of The Group, as specified in item 2 of this constitution.

9 Amendments to the Constitution

Amendments to the constitution may only be made at the Annual General Meeting or a Special General Meeting.

Any proposal to amend the constitution must be given to the Secretary in writing. The proposal must then be circulated with the notice of meeting.

Any proposal to amend the constitution will require a two thirds majority of those present and entitled to vote.

10 Dissolution

If a meeting, by simple majority, decides that it is necessary to close down The Group it may call a Special General Meeting to do so. The sole business of this meeting will be to dissolve The Group.

If it is agreed to dissolve The Group, all remaining money and other assets, once outstanding debts have been paid, will be donated to a local charitable organisation. The organisation will be agreed at the meeting which agrees the dissolution.

This constitution was agreed at the General Meeting of The Darwell Messenger Magazine on 24 May 2018.