Yeovil Model Railway Group - RULES AND CONSTITUTION

NAME
1.The club will be known as Yeovil Model Railway Group.

OBJECTS
2. The purpose of the Group will be to popularise small scale model railways in the area by:
a). Building a model railway layout or layouts to a variety of agreed scales to the best standards possible within the Group membership.
b). To assist members with their own modelling.
c). To improve members abilities and skills.
d). To carry out such other activities which, in the opinion of the committee, will contribute to the above objectives.

MEMBERSHIP
3. Ordinary membership will be open to any person over the age of sixteen. Junior membership will be open to any person between the ages of thirteen and sixteen.
4. The committee shall have the right to refuse or cancel membership with justifiable reason. In the event of a dispute this will be decided by an Extraordinary General Meeting.

MANAGEMENT
5. The Group will be run by a committee consisting of;
a) the Honorary Officers of the Group, and
b) one representative (the “Layout co-ordinator”) from each active project within the club. Nothing shall prevent the above-mentioned co-ordinator also being an Honorary Officer.
6. The Honorary Officers shall comprise the following posts: Chairman, Secretary and Treasurer. These officers shall be members of the Group, and they shall be elected at the AGM; they shall retire annually, but shall be eligible for re-election.
7. The committee shall be empowered to co-opt other members of the Group for specific purposes relevant to the Group.
8. Two members of the committee shall constitute a quorum.

MEETINGS
9. An Annual General Meeting, of which four weeks notice shall be given, will be called by the Secretary for the middle of December each year.
10. This shall elect the Officers and Committee for the next year.
11. At an AGM six members or 25% of the membership will comprise a quorum.
12. During an AGM all voting shall be by a simple majority ballot. In the event of a tie the Chairman shall have a casting vote.
13. Normal meetings of the Group will be a minimum of once a week unless otherwise decided by the membership. They shall be in the premises of the club or any other place allotted to carry out the Objects of the Group.
14. Extraordinary General Meetings are to be called in writing, giving a minimum of one weeks notice, by the committee, or after a request for such a meeting by 25% of the membership.

FINANCE
15
a). The Group’s Financial Year shall close on the 30th November each year. The Treasurer will present a statement of the previous year’s financial activity at the Annual General Meeting
b). The Annual Subscription shall be due by the 31 December each year
c). Subscription rates shall be determined and set at the AGM.
d). A proportional rate of subscription will be set for those joining part way through the Financial Year, at the discretion of the committee.

PROPERTY
16. The Group will own the layout(s). The term layout is deemed to mean:- baseboards, trackwork, scenery, wagons, coaches, locomotives, electrical devices (attached to or required to operate the layout) and sundry other items donated to, or paid for by the Group.
17. On the dissolution of the Group assets will be offered, in the first instance, to a like minded model railway club. Any monies will firstly pay off any outstanding debts and any remaining monies will be equally distributed to appropriate recipients.
18. Members will be free to use their own rolling stock (if suitable) on the layout(s) Due regard for this stock must be made by other members and ownership must be respected.
19. Members are urged to take all reasonable care of club property.
20. Modifications to any club layout must be sanctioned by the appropriate co-ordinator before commencement.

ALTERATIONS TO THE RULES
21. These rules shall not be amended except at a duly constituted General Meeting called for the purpose.
22. At any meeting convened for such a purpose only members of three or more years’ standing shall be eligible to vote.