THAMES VALLEY EARLY MUSIC FORUM

RULES and CONSTITUTION

1. NAME

The Society shall be called 'Thames Valley Early Music Forum' abbreviated to TVEMF. Throughout these rules it is referred to as 'The Society'.

2. OBJECTS

The object of the Society shall be the advancement of the study, practice and appreciation of the art of music and the allied arts, in particular those of the Medieval, Renaissance and Baroque periods ('early music'). In pursuance of this object and within the limits permissible to charity the Society may:

(i) Sponsor or promote on its own or with others, concerts, recitals, broadcasts, recordings, seminars, lectures, classes and courses and events of an allied nature.

(ii) Disseminate information relating to early music to members of the Society and others by means of a regular newsletter.

(iii) Print, publish and distribute books, pamphlets and leaflets relating to early music.

3. MEMBERSHIP

a. Membership of the Society is open to all persons who profess an interest in early music and in particular those resident in the Thames Valley (including the London area).

b. Those persons who apply for membership of the Society and who shall be admitted to membership by the committee on such application shall be members of the Society.

c. Those members referred to in 3 (b) above shall, so long as their current subscriptions (if any) have been paid, be entitled to attend and vote at all the General Meetings of the Society.

d. A Body Corporate or unincorporated Society may apply for membership and may be admitted by the Committee as a member of the Society on such application, and such Body or Society shall, so long as its current subscription (if any) has been paid, be entitled by its nominee to attend and vote at all General Meetings of the Society.

e. The Committee may, at any time, by resolution, expel any member from the Society, but before such resolution is passed, the member in question shall be given at least fourteen days notice of the date and time of the meeting at which such resolution is to be proposed and may attend at such meeting and address the Committee prior to the moving of such resolution.

f. The Committee may, at any time, give written notice to all or any of the members of the Society, requiring from such member or members confirmation of their intention to continue their membership of the Society, and if any member to whom such notice is given does not within twenty-eight days after the giving of such notice, give confirmation of their intention in writing, the Committee may, at its discretion, determine their membership to have lapsed.

g. The Committee may, from time to time, determine the annual rate of subscription (if any) applicable to the various classes of members and a member whose subscription is more than six months in arrears shall automatically cease to be a member of the Society.

4. COMMITTEE

a) The management of the Society shall be vested in a Committee to be duly elected at an Annual General Meeting of members.

b) The Committee shall consist of a Chairman, Secretary, Treasurer (collectively known as the Officers) and up to six other members, all of whom shall be fully paid up members of the Society.

c) The Committee shall have the power to co-opt members of the Society to serve on the committee from time to time as it may think fit, and to remove any member so co-opted.

d) Four persons (inculding one of the Officers) shall be a quorum for Committee Meetings.

e) An editor of the Society's Newsletter shall be appointed annually by the Committee. Such Editor may be re-appointed for successive terms of office and may be removed from the post by the Committee at any time. Such Editor (if not an elected member of the Committee) shall be ex officio a member of the Committee while holding the post of Editor.

f) The Committee shall have the power to appoint such sub committees as may be thought necessary.

5. MEETINGS

a) The Annual General Meeting of the Society shall be held in October each year (or as soon as practicable thereafter).

b) An Extraordinary General Meeting shall be called whenever the Committee thinks it expedient or on receipt of a requisition signed by not less than 15 members of the Society stating the reason for calling the meeting.

c) Not less than fourteen days notice in writing of meetings shall be given to the members of the society, but the accidental omission to give notice of a meeting, or the non-receipt of such notice by a person or body entitled to receive notice shall not invalidate proceedings at that meeting.

d) There shall be a quorum of a General Meeting when a quorum of the Committee and not less than five ordinary members are present. The proceedings of an inquorate General Meeting shall be invalid.

e) All motions shall be in writing, signed by the proposer and seconder and shall be delivered to the Secretary not later than seven days before the date of the meeting, and shall be placed on the agenda.

f) Every matter shall be decided in the first place on a show of hands but the Chairman may order a count and must do so if it is requested by more than one member. In the event of a dispute the Chairman may order a ballot. In the event of an equality of votes at any meeting the Chairman shall have a second or casting vote.

6. MINUTES

Minutes of all meetings of the Society and of the Committee shall be kept in books provided for the purpose. At every meeting of the Society or of the Committee (except for Extraordinary General Meeting and specially convened meetings of the Committee) the minutes of the last meeting of the Society (or of the Committee as the case may be) shall be read or circulated, and, if confirmed by the Meeting, shall be signed by the Chairman.

7. FINANCE

a) The Committee shall maintain such banking account or accounts as it thinks fit, into such of which as may be appropriate shall be paid forthwith all sums of cash for the time being belonging to the Society. Cheques shall be signed by such persons as the Committee shall from time to time authorise.

b) The financial year of the Society shall end on the 31st day of December each year and the accounts of the Society shall be presented by the Honorary Treasurer to the Committee at its first meeting after that date, and shall be presented to the society at its first Annual General Meeting after that date.

c) All proper costs, charges and expenses of and incidental to the management of the Society shall first be defrayed out of the income of the Society.

d) Subject to the payments aforesaid, the Committee shall, as and when it thinks fit (but subject to any special trusts attached to any part of the funds of the Society) apply or cause to be applied the whole or a part of the capital and income of the Society in furtherance of the objects referred to in clause 2.

8. AMENDMENTS

These Rules may be altered or revoked and new Rules may be made altered or revoked by a resolution passed by a two thirds majority of those present and voting at a General Meeting of the Society; but a proposal to alter the Rules for the time being in force must be communicated to the Secretary, in writing, at least twenty eight days before the meeting at which the proposal is to be moved; provided that no alteration to or revocation of rules 1,2,8 and 9 shall be made unless the consent of the Charity Commissioners or other authority having charitable jurisdiction shall have first approved the same.

9. DISSOLUTION

The Society may, at any time, be dissolved by a resolution passed by a two thirds majority of those present and voting at a duly convened meeting of the Society of which at least twenty eight days notice shall have been sent to all members. Such resolution may give instruction for the disposal of any assets held by, or in the name of, the Society provided that, if any property remains after the satisfaction of all debts and liabilities, such preperty shall not be paid to or distributed among the members of the Society, but shall be given or transferred to such other charitable institution or institutions having objects similar to some or all of the objects of the Society as the Committee may, with the approval of the Charity Commissioners or other authority having charitable jurisdiction, determine.