NAME

1. The name of the Association shall be Friends of Gloucestershire Archives (hereinafter called “the Association”). A Member of the Association is hereinafter called “a Friend”.

OBJECT

2. The object of the Association is to educate the people of Gloucestershire and elsewhere by raising public awareness of the need to preserve Gloucestershire Archives and by supporting the work of Gloucestershire Archives.

The Association shall have power:

(a) to establish a forum of owners and users of archives, the Gloucestershire Archives, and other interested persons or groups, so as to increase public knowledge of Gloucestershire’s archives and history.

(b) generally to further the purposes of Gloucestershire Archives and to assist in future developments of its facilities.

(c) to appoint representatives and delegates to any other bodies with whom the Friends of Gloucestershire Archives may be concerned.

(d) to support and co-ordinate volunteers in publishing, education, research, advertising and other work for the furtherance of the said object.

(e) to raise funds and to invite and receive contributions from any person or persons whomsoever by way of subscription, donation, legacies or otherwise provided that the Association shall not undertake any permanent trading activities in raising funds for its charitable object.

(f) to arrange and provide for, or join in arranging and providing for, exhibitions, meetings, lectures, visits, seminars, workshops, conferences and other similar or related activities.

(g) to purchase furniture, equipment, manuscripts, printed books and other materials for the furtherance of the said object.

(h) to take any other lawful action to promote or to assist in promoting the said object.

MEMBERSHIP

3.1 There shall be three categories of Ordinary Members:

(a) individual membership shall be open to everyone.

(b) joint membership shall be open to individuals living at the same address, but only the first-named shall be entitled to receive a copy of any notice or letter, and to vote.

(c) group membership shall be open to any organisation, institution, company, school or group, which shall have the right to nominate one representative to receive a copy of any notice or letter, and to vote.

3.2 Ex-officio membership may be granted by the Committee to any present or former member of the staff of the Gloucestershire Archives, and to such members of the elected body controlling the record office as the Committee may decide. Ex-officio members shall not be required to pay any subscription, and may not vote, but they shall be permitted to receive a copy of any notice or letter.

3.3 The Committee may recommend to the next Annual General Meeting suitable persons for election to Honorary Life Membership. Honorary Life Members shall not be entitled to vote, but they shall be entitled to receive a copy of any notice or letter.

SUBSCRIPTION

4. The rates of subscription for each category of Ordinary Member (except ex-officio Members) shall be determined from time to time by the Committee.

Subscriptions shall become due on the first day of April each year. Members joining in January to February of that year shall have their subscription run to April twelvemonth.

Friends whose subscriptions are more than twelve months in arrears shall be excluded from membership.

PATRONS

5. The Committee may designate as Patron any Member who donates to the Association a sum of money (to be determined from time to time by the Committee), in addition to his or her annual subscription.

PRESIDENT

6. The Committee may nominate a President, for election at the next Annual General Meeting.

VICE-PRESIDENTS

7. The Committee may nominate Vice-Presidents, for election at the next Annual General Meeting.

COMMITTEE

8.1 The Committee shall consist of the following officers:

(a) Chairman

(b) Secretary

(c) Treasurer

(d) Membership Secretary

(e) Editor of the Newsletter and Website

(f) Events and Publicity Secretary

(g) Liaison Secretary

(h) County Archivist (ex-officio)

(i) County Archivist’s Nominee

8.2 The first seven Officers listed above shall be elected each year and shall be eligible for re-election. The Chairman shall not be re-elected for more than three consecutive terms. All Officers shall be Members of the Association.

8.3 The Committee shall have the power to co-opt any person having special skill or knowledge but in relation only to the consideration by the Committee of matters where such special skill or knowledge would be likely to be of assistance. Such co-opted persons shall not have the right to vote.

COMMITTEE

9. The Committee shall have the general management and direction of the funds and affairs of the Association, and in particular (but without prejudice to the generality of the foregoing)

(a) may nominate any Member of the Association to serve on another Committee

(b) may pay the whole or any part of the reasonable out of pocket expenses of any Officer or Member in or about the execution of his or her functions and duties on behalf of the Association

(c) may fill casual vacancies from time to time in its membership

(d) may appoint from time to time such sub-committees from its membership as may be necessary or desirable to carry out its business.

MEETINGS

10.1 The inaugural Annual General Meeting was held in April 1993. Thereafter the Annual General Meeting shall be held in May each year. The Secretary shall give at least twenty-one days’ notice to all Friends. The business of the Annual General meeting shall be to receive the Chairman’s Report, and the Annual Accounts, to

appoint Auditors, to elect the Officers, and to consider any matters which have been notified to the Secretary and appear in the Notice summoning the Meeting. 10.2 A Special General Meeting may be convened by the Committee at any time, and shall be so convened by the Chairman after receiving a request in writing from any ten Members. The requisition shall set out in proper form the reason for such a Meeting. In either case, the Secretary shall give not less than fourteen days’ notice.

10.3 The quorum for General Meetings shall be ten Members, or one-twentieth of the number of Members, whichever is greater.

10.4 Committee meetings shall be held not less than quarterly. The quorum shall be four.

NOMINATIONS

Nominations for Officers, duly signed by the nominee, the proposer and the seconder must be in the hands of the Secretary at least seven days before the Annual General Meeting. If an election is necessary, voting will be by secret ballot.

VOTING

Except as otherwise provided in sections 15 and 17 below, all questions arising at any meeting shall be decided by a simple majority of those present and entitled to vote. No person shall have more than one vote notwithstanding the fact that he or she may have been appointed to represent two or more interests except that, in the case of an equality of votes, the Chairman shall have a second or casting vote.

ACCOUNTS

13. All funds and assets in the possession of the Association shall be held, paid and applied as the Committee may direct within the object of the Association and pending such direction shall be held in the name of the Association with such Bankers as the Committee shall from time to time direct. All cheques drawn on such Bankers shall be signed by any two of the Chairman, the Secretary, the Treasurer or an Officer specially nominated by the Committee for that purpose. All documents requiring endorsement shall be sufficiently endorsed if signed by one of them.

AUDITOR

14. An Auditor, or Auditors, who need not be a Friend, shall be appointed at the Annual General Meeting. An Officer may not be appointed as Auditor.

ALTERATIONS

15. No article of this Constitution shall be made, varied or rescinded except by a resolution passed by no less than two-thirds of such Members as are present and voting at a General Meeting. The notice calling such a meeting shall incorporate a copy of the proposed alteration. No alteration shall be made to clauses 2 (Object), 17 (Winding Up), or this clause, until the approval in writing of the Charity Commissioners or other authority having charitable jurisdiction shall have been obtained: and no alteration shall be made which would have the effect of causing the Association to cease to be a Charity at law.

NOTICE

16. Notices to Friends shall be deemed properly served if sent by ordinary second-class prepaid post to the address last notified by the Friend to the Membership Secretary. Any letter so sent shall be deemed to have arrived within seven days of posting.

WINDING UP

17. The Association may be dissolved by a resolution passed by a two-thirds majority of those present and voting at a Special General Meeting convened for the purpose, of which not less than twenty-one days’ notice shall have been given to Members. Such resolution may give instruction for the disposal of any assets held by

or in the name of the Association, provided that if any property remains after the satisfaction of all debts and liabilities such property shall not be paid or distributed among the Friends, but shall be given or transferred to such other charitable institution or institutions having objects similar to the object of the Association as the Association may determine and if and in so far as effect cannot be given to this provisions then to some other charitable purpose.

DATA

18. Each Friend shall be deemed to have given his or her consent for the purpose of the Data Protection Act 1988 for the inclusion of his or her name, address and telephone number and any other relevant information in or on any data processing medium or system which, in the absence of consent, might otherwise be registrable under the provisions of the Act aforesaid.

INTERPRETATION

19. Interpretation of this Constitution shall rest with the Committee, which shall also have power to decide any question not provided for in it.