1. Name
The group will be called ‘Friends of Henrietta Park’ – (“the Friends”) where Henrietta Park is the public park within the area established within the bounds of Henrietta Mews, Henrietta Road, Henrietta Street and Henrietta Gardens.
2. Aims
The aims of the Friends are:a)to promote the history and heritage of Henrietta Park;
b) to promote community- supported improvements to Henrietta Park and to their management and facilities;
c) to organise community events and volunteer activities in or related to the gardens;
d) to encourage, promote and influence preservation and conservation within the gardens.
3. Powers
In order to achieve their aims, the Friends may:a) open bank accounts;b) take out insurance;c) raise money;d) apply for grants;e) organise events;f) work with and exchange information with other groups andbodies as deemed necessary by the executive committee;g) make authorised public statements;h) do anything else lawful that will help fulfil their aims.
4. Membership
A) Membership will be open to any person over the age of 16 who wants to help the Friends achieve their aims and operate within the terms of the Constitution of the Friends. They should be willing to pay any subscription levied by the Committee;
b) A Family Membership will be available to those with children under the age of 16.
c) Every individual member shall have one vote at General Meetings.
d) Each family holding Family Membership will be entitled to onevote at General Meetings.e) Guests who are nominated representatives of other organisations may be invited to attend meetings as and when theneed arises.f) The membership of any member may be terminated for goodreason by a quorum of the Executive Committee but the member will have the right to be heard by the Committee before a decision is made.
5. Governance
a) The Friends shall be governed by an Executive Committee(“the Committee”), elected at an Annual General Meeting. The Committee should comprise of the officers of the committee and a maximum of 8 (eight) individual members in addition to the officers.
b) The officers shall consist of a Chairperson, a Secretary and a Treasurer. Up to 2 (two) additional officers may be elected to fulfill specific responsibilities when decided necessary by the Committee.
c) The quorum for the Committee shall be 5 (five) members.
d) The duties of the officers are designated as follows:•
The Chairperson shall chair the Committee meetings and General Meetings, and act as a spokesperson for the Friends when deemed necessary. The Chairperson may also represent the Friends at functions and meetings where deemed necessary. The Chairperson may also offer guidance on tactical and strategic issues.
•The Secretary shall receive correspondence on behalf of the Committee, take and prepare minutes, organise meetings, maintain a membership list (which should be only be used in accordance with the Data Protection Act), and collect and circulate information relevant to the aims of the Friends.
•The Treasurer shall supervise the financial affairs of the Friends, including the operation of bank accounts, the receipt of subscriptions and any other monies due to the Friends and the payment ofmonies due to be paid out on behalf of the Friends. The Treasurer will be responsible for the keeping of accounts on behalf of the Friends.e)The Committee will be duty bound to meet on at least six occasions per annum. These meetings will be chaired by the Chairperson or a deputy nominated by the Committee where the Chairperson is indisposed or unable to attend for any reason.
6. Annual General Meetings
A general meeting of members will be held annually on a date to be determined by the Committee.Notice to hold an AGM must be sent to each member to arrive at least 4 (four) weeks before it takes place. This notice can be either in hard copy sent via post or by email. The quorum for an AGM shall be designated as 10 (ten)% of paid up membership with a minimum of 5 (five) (being our quorum) in physical attendance and will include Committee members.All officers of the Committee will be required to make a report at the AGM. The annual accounts should be presented for acceptance.Nominations for elected positions should be sent to reach the Secretary no later than 7 (seven) days before an AGM. The voting will be held on the basis of one per individual member and one per family member group. Voting will usually consist of a show of hands. The roles of Chair, Treasurer, and Secretary will always be elected annually. One half of the rest of the Committee will be elected every 2 years. At the first Committee meeting, the committee will decide who of these will serve for two years initially.Motions to be put before an AGM by the Committee should be circulated to all members and will require a proposer and a seconder before being put to a vote. Where a member is indisposed but wishes to vote on a Motion put before the AGM, they shall be allowed to vote in writing. This should reach the Secretary at least 24(twenty four) hours before the AGM and will be read out to the meeting as a vote. Motions proposed by individual members can be made and should be submitted to reach the Secretary a minimum of 6 (six) weeks before a General Meeting .
7. Special General Meetings
A Special General Meeting may be called by the Committee or by 10(ten) individual and/or Family group members . This number may be changed to greater figure if this deemed appropriate by the Committee based on current membership figures at the time of the request.Notice of a Special General Meeting will be sent out by the Secretary to arrive no later than 14 (fourteen) days prior to the date of the meeting together with the details of the matter to be discussed.
8. Finance
The Committee will oversee the financial affairs of the Friends. The Committee will delegate to the Treasurer those duties they deem appropriate. The accounts of the Friends will be inspected by an Independent Examiner appointed by the AGM. This Examiner would normally be appointed at an AGM unless circumstances dictate otherwise. Yearly accounts will be presented for scrutiny at the AGM.
9. Amendments to the Constitution
Any member may submit an amendment to the Constitution at any time. These amendments would be placed before a General Meeting as a motion for consideration. A vote will then be taken and any amendment will require a two-thirds majority in favour, by the voting members present, before it can be formally included in the Constitution.
10. Dissolution
The Friends of Henrietta Park may be dissolved following a motion to do so which has the support of at least two thirds of the voting members present at either an AGM or a Special General Meeting called in accordance with the Constitution. Any monies held by the Friends on dissolution will be donated to a charity as stipulated by the voting members at the dissolution meeting.
