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Constitution of the Traditional Youth Marching Bands Association
Name
The organisation shall be known as: - The Traditional Youth Marching Bands Association hereafter called the Association.
Objective
The objective of the Association shall be to advance the education of the public in art, science and appreciation of music; in particular that performed by Traditional Style Youth Marching Bands.
In furtherance of the foregoing, the Association shall have the following powers: -
To raise the standards of charitable traditional youth bands by training leaders and members of such bands,
To consult with and promote the exchange of views and knowledge between charitable traditional youth bands,
To organise and encourage others to organise activities at which traditional youth bands can work and or perform together and exchange knowledge,
To standardise the rules for contests,
To promote the activities of traditional youth bands to the public,
To publish "Marchpast",
To perform any other lawful acts and assurances necessary to advance the foregoing objectives.
Headquarters
The headquarters of the Association shall be at a suitable place appointed by the members, or if no such place be appointed at the address of the Secretary of the Association.
Membership of the Association
Membership is open to any of the following that are interested in advancing the objectives of the Association and willing to abide by its rules.
Class A - Full Members
Youth bands and registered contest organisations, National contests & Officers of the committee unable to exercise a vote as an existing class A member.
Class B - Associate Members
Contest Adjudicators, recognised contest organisations, individuals and Honorary Members.
The Executive Committee may refuse, suspend or terminate any membership if it is deemed contrary to the interests of the Association.
Membership renewals and subscriptions
Not later than the 1st day of January each year, each member shall confirm their intention to remain a member of the Association and pay their subscription for the year.
The annual subscription for membership shall be as decided from time to time by the Annual General Meeting.
Honorary membership shall be free from subscription.
Finance
The Financial year of the Association shall be from the 1st day of January to the 31st day of December.
Money shall be banked or placed on deposit in the name of the association with such banks and or building societies approved by the Committee from time to time.
All cheques and withdrawals from any account must be signed by two authorised signatories, provided always that they shall not be members of the same family, the same band or the same household.
The authorised signatories to each account shall be from the Chairman, Secretary, Treasurer and two other members decided by the Committee.
The Associations accounts shall be examined by a suitably qualified person and audited statements placed before each Annual General Meeting, then published.
Annual General Meeting
This shall be held not later than the 21st day of April, all accounts to be submitted prior to the 31st December. Notices of motions to be raised at the meeting shall be seconded and given to the Secretary not less than 21 days before the meeting. An agenda shall be sent out not less than 7 days before the meeting.
Special General Meetings
A Special General Meeting shall be held within 28 days following the receipt by the Secretary of either: -
A request in writing signed by a minimum of 15 members or half of the membership, whichever is the lower, and stating fully the reason thereof, or
A resolution passed by a simple majority at a meeting of the Association Committee.
A minimum of 14 days notice of such a meeting together with an agenda for the same shall be given in writing to each member. Two thirds of all signatories to the request must be represented at the meeting.
Election of Officers
The following officers, all of whom shall be members of the Association, shall be elected each year by the Annual General Meeting: -
Chairman
Vice Chairman
Treasurer
Secretary
Membership Secretary
Nominations for office must be made in writing, signed by the nominator, accompanied by the nominee's confirmation of willingness to serve, and be delivered to the Secretary not less than 21 days prior to the Annual General Meeting. The existing officers must state in the Notice of the Annual General Meeting their intention to either stand for re-election or to resign. If no nominations are received the serving officer shall be deemed to be re-elected.
Patronage, Presidents & Honorary Members
The Association may, if it desires, appoint any or all of a Patron, a President and up to three Vice Presidents. It may also confer Honorary Membership upon any individual in recognition of their meritorious service to the Association. All such appointments may only be made by an Annual or Special General Meeting. These will be conditional upon a nomination signed by three members being delivered to the Secretary not less than 28 days before the meeting. Upon the nominee's acceptance and upon 51% of the voting members present at the meeting voting in favour, the appointment is approved.
At each Annual General Meeting a vote shall be taken in respect of each person previously appointed with the exception of the Patron, to determine whether his or her appointment is to continue until the next Annual General Meeting.
For the period of their appointment each for the Patron, the President and the Vice Presidents shall be granted Honorary Membership.
Election of the Committee
A committee shall be appointed at each Annual General Meeting and shall comprise: -
The officers elected by the AGM under clause 9 hereof,
One member previously elected from each region of the Association,
One member from each Subcommittee established by the AGM,
Up to five other members elected at the AGM,
Any committee member who does not attend 3 consecutive meetings shall be asked to consider their position on the committee.
Function of the Committee
The committee shall: -
Manage the affairs and finance of the Association,
Meet as and when required and at least four times per year,
Agree at the first meeting the dates for the Quarterly meetings and publish the same,
Maintain the machinery of the Association in good working order,
Consider and deal with all matters of current administration and policy,
Consider and deal with all matters of urgency,
Receive and review reports from all areas of the Association,
Co-opt as necessary,
Appoint a membership committee,
Receive membership applications, renewals, subscriptions etc., and determine membership,
Provide each member annually with a current membership certificate,
Maintain and publish internally a current list of members and amendments thereto,
Co-opt a successor to any officer of the Association, who resigns during their period of office for any reason,
To provide each member with a copy of this Constitution and a copy of the Association's Rules and subsequent amendments thereto.
Subcommittees
In the interests of true representation and to create greater understanding throughout the membership appropriate Subcommittees shall be established and maintained as an integral part of the Association, together with representation on the Main Committee. They shall be known as "Panels".
Each Subcommittee shall consider, debate and advise the Chairman on any and all matters that relate to current trends, revisions and general improvements in their specialist field and have one Regional Co-ordinator within their structure.
The Main Committee may appoint Subcommittees as it deems necessary and shall determine their terms of reference, powers, duration and compositions provided always that all acts and proceedings of any Subcommittee shall be reported to the Main Committee as soon as possible and provided further that no Subcommittee shall expend funds of the Association otherwise than in accordance with a budget agreed by the Main Committee.
Quorum for General Meetings
The Quorum for an Annual or Special General Meeting shall be a minimum of 15 Class A Members or half of the Class A Membership, whichever is the lower, plus at least 4 Members of the Main Committee, except that the latter shall not apply if the Committee has ceased to exist.
Quorum for TYMBA Committee Meetings. To reduce the probability of wasted journeys for its members and associated personal expense, the quorum for TYMBA committee meetings is set henceforth at 40% of its serving members, including a minimum of 2 Officers.
Voting at Meetings
At General and Regional meetings, each full Class A Member, present shall have one vote. Associate Members and Class B Members will have no vote.
At meetings of any Subcommittee of which they are a member each Full and Associate Member shall have one vote.
Except where otherwise stated in this Constitution, voting will be restricted to Members present at a meeting and decided by a simple majority.
No member shall have a casting vote. If the votes for and against a resolution are equal, the resolution shall be deemed to be defeated.
Record of Proceedings
The proceedings of the General Meetings, Committee Meetings and Subcommittee Meetings shall be minuted, shall be approved by the members at their next meeting, signed by the Chairman and the original lodged with the Association Secretary for safe keeping.
Rights of Appeal
A decision to suspend or terminate membership of the Association, save for Non Payment of subscription or other easily and objectively assessable ground, shall be subject to a Right of Appeal. Such an appeal shall be determined by an Appeals Committee comprising the Secretary of the Association or their nominee and two Class A Members who are neither members of the Committee nor involved either directly or indirectly in the dispute. The appellant and the member who proposed the suspension or termination shall each have the right to attend the hearing of the appeal. The Appeals Committee's decision shall be final.
Alterations to the Constitution and or Rules
Alterations to the Constitution may only be made at an Annual General Meeting or at a Special General Meeting, and shall receive the assent of two thirds of the members present and voting. Alterations to the rules require a majority of the members present and voting. A resolution for the alteration of the Constitution and or Rules must be received by the Secretary of the Association at least 21 days before the meeting at which the resolution is to be given by the Secretary to the membership, and must include notice of the alteration proposed and shall be seconded.
Dissolution of the Association
Dissolution of the Association may be effected by a Special General Meeting convened for the purpose provided that: -
Proper notice has been sent in writing to the last known address of every then Voting Member of the Association,
At least 75% of the Voting Members of the Association who are present or are voting by proxy through a voting member who is present, vote in favour of Dissolution,
If a motion to dissolve is determined then the Association's assets after all liabilities have been discharged, shall not be distributed amongst the membership, but shall be disposed of for such Charitable Institutions or purposes as the Voting Members at the meeting shall decide, subject where required by law to the approval of the Charity Commissioners or their successors.
