Constitution

1. Name 

The name of the Association shall be the Friends of the Willis Museum, herein referred to as ‘The Association’

2. Objective

The objective of the Association shall be to promote, support, assist and improve the Willis Museum through the activities of a group of Friends.

The Association shall have power to :

a.       encourage, promote and assist in the development of a group of Friends;

b.      generally further the charitable aims of the Willis Museum and encourage the development of the facilities afforded by it;

c.       appoint representatives and delegates to other bodies with which the Friends may be concerned;

d.      engage in, support and co-ordinate research, publishing, education, advertising and other work for the furtherance of the objective, provided that no activities of a permanent trading nature shall be undertaken;

e.       take any other lawful action to promote the objective.

3. Membership

Membership of the Association shall be open to all individuals who subscribe to its objective. In addition the members may elect by a simple majority of the members present an Honorary Patron and/or an Honorary President, and/or Honorary Vice-Presidents and/or Honorary Members. At any one time there shall be no more than one Honorary Patron, one Honorary President and six Honorary Vice-Presidents

4. Committee

The Committee shall consist of the following Officers and Members:

Chairman, Vice Chairman, Secretary, Treasurer, and five other members.

The Committee shall be elected at each Annual General Meeting and shall hold office until the next Meeting. All Officers must be members of the Association.

The elected officers and members of the committee shall also be the Trustees of the Association

5. Subscriptions

The Annual Subscription of the Association shall be fixed at the Annual General Meeting. Subscriptions shall become due on the first day of July each year. Friends whose subscriptions are three months in arrears shall be deemed to have terminated their membership

6. Meetings

The Annual General Meeting of the Association, of which at least 21 days notice shall be given, shall be held during the last quarter of each calendar year. The business of the Annual General Meeting shall be to receive a report from the Committee, to receive the annual accounts and appoint auditors, to elect the Committee and to consider any proposal of which due notice has been given. The Committee may at any time, and shall within 21 days after receiving a request in writing from any ten members, summon a Special Annual Meeting of which not less than 21 days notice shall be given specifying the business to be transacted.

Committee Meetings shall be held not less than twice in every year. Four members shall constitute a quorum. In the absence of the Chairman those present may elect a chairman.

7. Accounts

All funds and assets in the possession of the Association shall be held, paid and applied as the Committee may direct within the objective of the Association, and pending such directions all funds shall be held in an separate bank accounts, in the name of the Association, with such banks as the Committee may from time to time direct.  All cheques drawn on such banks shall be signed by any two of the Chairman, Vice Chairman, Secretary or Treasurer. All documents requiring endorsement shall be adequately endorsed if signed by anyone of them.

8. Committee

The powers and duties of the Committee shall encompass the general management and direction of the funds and affairs of the Association. They will include:

·    the nomination of any of its delegates to serve on another body;

·   the payment of the whole or any part of the expenses of any member in the execution of any functions or duties on behalf of the Association;

·   the making or varying of rules to ensure compliance with this constitution; and

·   the filling of vacancies in its membership.

9. Auditors

Auditors, who need not be members of the Association, shall be elected at the Annual General Meeting.

10. Amendments

This constitution may be amended only by a resolution passed by a simple majority at an Annual or Special General Meeting. Such resolution must be notified in writing to all members not less than 21 days before the meeting.

11. Notices

Notices to Friends shall be deemed properly served if sent by ordinary prepaid post to the address registered on their subscription form.

12. Winding-Up

The Committee shall, on the winding up of the Friends, pay the surplus funds of the Association to such other charities as the Committee decides, subject to the approval of the Government body having jurisdiction over Educational Charities.