Rules (last changed on 24th November 2005)
1. Name and Colours
The Club shall be called the "Weybridge Rowing Club" and the colours shall be light blue and dark blue.
2. Objects
The object of the Club shall be to teach and promote the art of Rowing and Sculling.
3. Club Events
All club events shall be held under Amateur Rowing Association rules.
4. Classes of Membership
There shall be eight classes of membership:
All members who use Club boats must be able to swim proficiently a distance of 150 metres.
5. Candidates for Membership
An individual wishing to become a member of the Club shall make him/herself known to the Captain or Vice-Captain, complete the Weybridge Rowing Club Membership Application Form and post on the Club Notice Board. Any applications shall be considered at the subsequent Committee Meeting. An application for membership shall not be unreasonably withheld. However any refusal of membership shall be subject to the Committee’s absolute and unfettered discretion. Within 21days, a successful applicant shall be sent a copy of the latest Rules of the Club together with a request for payment. The applicant shall be considered a Member when payment has been received by the Treasurer. "
Honorary Life Membership may be awarded for exceptional services to the Club, usually over a period of several years. Honorary Life Members are entitled to all the facilities of the Club and are not required to pay a subscription. Candidates must be proposed by the Committee and elected at a General Meeting.
6. Members' Guests
Any member may introduce guests into the Club premises subject to the following conditions:
7. Entrance fee and Subscription
Before any candidate for membership is considered to be a member, he must pay an entrance fee and every member shall pay the appropriate annual subscription which shall be due on the first day of October in any year. The Entrance Fee and Annual Subscriptions shall be as decided on by the Committee and approved by the members in General meeting. A candidate admitted to membership after 1st May in any year shall pay at the time he pays his entrance fee such reasonable proportion of a full year's subscription as the Committee shall determine. Candidates may be elected for less than one year to Temporary Membership on such terms and conditions as the Committee may from time to time decide.
8. Members in arrears
Any candidate who fails to pay his entrance fee and subscription within fifteen days of a notice of his election being posted to him by the Secretary of the Club shall be deemed to have forfeited his right to membership.
Any active member who has failed to pay his subscription by 31st December shall not be allowed to use the Club boats until such time as his subscription has been paid.
9. Resignation of Members
Any member who hands or posts to the Secretary his resignation in writing shall be deemed to have resigned from membership of the Club forthwith.
10. Expulsion of Members
The Committee may at any time and at its absolute discretion invite the resignation of any member who, in its opinion, has acted contrary to the interests of the Club. If such member fails to resign within 15 days, the Committee shall submit evidence of the expulsion to an Extraordinary General Meeting of the members of the Club, to be convened and held as soon as practicable, and shall send to the member concerned a statement of the evidence and an invitation to refute such evidence; the member concerned shall also be sent a notice of the meeting as provided by Rule 15; the notice, statement and invitation referred to above being sent together at the same time under the same cover.
If at least three quarters of the members present and entitled to vote at the Extraordinary General Meeting (excluding the member concerned) vote for expulsion, the member concerned shall cease to be a member of the Club forthwith.
Following any invitation from the committee to a member to resign and pending the decision of an Extraordinary General Meeting convened to consider the matter, the committee may at its absolute discretion exclude the member concerned from the Club premises.
11. Vice-Presidents
A Vice-President is someone who has made a significant contribution or service to the life of the Club. Nominations shall be made by the Committee for election at a General Meeting. Once elected the office is for life. Vice-Presidents shall not exceed twenty in number.
12. President
The President of the Club for the ensuing year shall be nominated by the Committee and elected at the Annual General Meeting and at the date of his election shall have been a Vice-President for at least one year.
13. Club Officers
The Club officers shall be the following Honorary Officers:
14. Committee
The management of the Club shall be vested in a committee not exceeding thirteen in number, comprising the Club's Officers ex-officio and elected members, seven to form a quorum. The President and Vice-Presidents shall be entitled to attend meetings of the Committee, but unless otherwise qualified to do so, shall not vote. The Committee shall have power to co-opt any Club member to fill a vacancy arising during the year and may appoint Club members, not being members of the Committee, to Sub-committees for specific purposes. The Committee shall elect its Chairman at the first meeting following the Annual General Meeting. If any member entitled to vote fails to attend three consecutive Committee Meeting without giving in writing to the Secretary a reasonable excuse, his office shall become vacant.
The Committee shall manage the affairs of the Club. Financial or legal liability incurred in the rightful exercise of their office shall not, however, be the personal liability of the members of the Committee, but shall be the responsibility of the Club as a whole. The Club shall carry suitable insurance to cover the members of the Committee undertaking their duties for the Club.
15. General Meetings
The Annual General Meeting of the Club shall be held not later than the thirtieth day of November. At this meeting, the Secretary, Treasurer, Social Secretary and Committee shall be elected to serve for the ensuing year. Notice of motions to be considered must be communicated to the Secretary before the end of September immediately preceding the meeting. Nominations for Club Officers and Committee members to serve for the ensuing year must be written on the form provided on the Clubhouse notice board at least seven days before the Annual General Meeting.
A General Meeting shall be held annually during August at which the Captain shall be elected to serve for the year commencing 1st September. Nominations for Captain must be written on the form provided on the Clubhouse notice board at least seven days before the General Meeting. The Vice-Captain(s) shall be selected by the Captain and approved by the Committee.
An Extraordinary General Meeting may be called additionally at any time by the Committee to consider and decide upon matters of urgency.
Notice of the date of the Annual General Meeting and the General Meeting to elect the Captain shall be sent in writing to every member of the Club at least fourteen days in advance, and notice of the date of an Extraordinary General Meeting shall be sent at least twenty-one clear days in advance. With such notice shall be sent a statement of the business to be transacted at the meeting.
A Special General Meeting may be called at any time upon the written requisition of at least twenty five members entitled to vote and shall be held within twenty one days of the receipt of the requisition by the Secretary, who will give at least fourteen days notice of such meeting, stating its objects.
All members may vote at a General Meeting. A Member can only vote at a General Meeting by being in attendance.
16. Accounts
The financial year shall commence on the first day of October and end of the last day of September. Audited accounts shall be presented at the Annual General Meeting.
Auditors shall be appointed at the Annual General Meeting to serve for the ensuing year. They shall not hold any other office of the Club.
17. Bye-laws
The Committee may make, vary or rescind byelaws for regulating the affairs of the Club provided that such byelaws are not contrary to the provisions contained in these Rules. Such byelaws when posted on the club notice board shall be binding upon all members of the Club.
18. Supply of Intoxicating Liquor
The hours during which intoxicating liquor may be supplied or consumed on the Club premises shall be 10.30 a.m. to 11.00 p.m. Monday to Saturday and 12.00 midday to 3.00 p.m. and 7.00 p.m. to 10.30 p.m. on each Sunday, Good Friday and Christmas Day.
In addition to these times, such extension as shall be permitted from time to time by the local licensing justices.
The supply of intoxicating liquor is prohibited to any persons under the age of 18 years.
19. Payments made by the Club
All payments by the Club shall be authorised by the Committee. Cheques drawn on the Club's bank account shall be signed by the Treasurer and, if over the limit specified by the Committee, they shall be signed also by the Secretary or Captain or Chairman of the Committee. The Committee may authorise two additional accounts:
Captain's Account
This shall be for the convenience of the Captain for the payment of members' race entry fees and for the receipt of monies collected from members towards such entry fees only. The Treasurer shall authorise transfer from the main account as necessary to keep a credit balance. The Captain and Treasurer shall each be authorised to sign alone on the account.
Bar Account
This shall be for the convenience of the member of the Committee appointed to act as Bar Steward for the purchase of bar stock and receipt of bar takings only. The |Bar Steward and Treasurer shall be authorised to sign alone on the account except that where a single payment exceeds the specified limit, both the Bar Steward and the Treasurer shall be required to sign.
20. Damage to Club Boats and Property
Members shall pay the cost incurred in the event of any damage to Club boats or property unless they can prove to the satisfaction of the Committee that such damage was not the result of carelessness but was purely accidental.
21. Housing of Boats
Active members' privately owned racing craft may be housed at the Club, subject to the Committee granting permission, and at such a fee as they may decide. Neither the Club nor its Officers or Committee can accept liability for the loss of or damage to a member's private boat, howsoever caused.
22. Alteration of Rules
No alteration of addition shall be made to these Rules except by a Resolution, proposed, seconded and supported by at least six members entitled to vote, and carried by at least two-thirds of the members present and entitled to vote at a General Meeting.
23. Trustees
There shall be three Trustees who shall be entitled to attend meetings of the committee. No Trustee shall be entitled to vote unless he is also an elected member of the Committee or an Officer of the Club. The first Trustees shall be appointed by the Club in General Meeting and the property of the Club (other than cash which shall be under the control of the Treasurer) shall be vested in them to be dealt with by them as the Committee shall from time to time direct by Resolution (of which an entry in the Minute Book shall be conclusive evidence). The Trustees shall be indemnified against risk and expense out of the Club property.
The Trustees shall hold office until death or resignation or until removed from office by a Resolution of the Club in General Meeting who may for any reason which may seem sufficient to a majority of those present and voting at any General Meeting remove any Trustee or Trustees from the office of Trustee.
If by reason of any such death, resignation or removal it shall appear necessary to the Committee that a new Trustee or Trustees be appointed, or if the Committee shall deem it expedient to appoint an additional Trustee or Trustees, the Committee shall by Resolution nominate the person or persons to be appointed the new Trustee or Trustees. For the purpose of giving effect to such nomination the President is hereby nominated as the person to appoint new Trustees of the Club within the meaning of Section 36 of the Trustees Act 1925, and shall by deed duly appoint the person or persons so nominated by the Committee as the new Trustee or Trustees of the Club, and the provisions of the Trustees Act 1925 shall apply to any such appointment; all costs and disbursements incidental to such appointment shall be borne by the Club. Any statement of fact in any such deed of appointment shall, in favour of a person dealing bona fide and for value with the Club or the Committee, shall be conclusive evidence of the fact so stated.
The Trustees shall be circulated with the agenda and minutes of each Committee meeting, Treasurer's reports to the Committee and the annual accounts. Trustees will be notified in advance of any proposed major expenditure, changes to the Club's Constitution and Rules and amendments to the Club's lease so their views can be considered before final decisions are taken.
24. Equal Opportunities Policy
The Club will ensure that the talents and resources of all members are utilised to the full and that no member receives less favourable treatment on the grounds of sex, disability, marital status, creed, social class, colour, ethnic group, age or sexual orientation or is disadvantaged by conditions or requirements which cannot be shown to be relevant to performance.
25. Distribution of Profits
In no circumstances can any profit be distributed to members, but any profits earned shall be used in furthering the objects of the Club.
26. Termination
The Club shall not terminate except by a resolution of a Special General Meeting convened for the purpose and in such an event any surplus assets shall be handed over to a body or bodies with similar objects or to a charity or charities agreed by the meeting which formally terminates the Club.
27. Child Protection
Club members shall observe the ARA's 'Child Protection Procedures in Rowing'.
The Club shall appoint a Welfare Officer who shall not be a member who is actively coaching junior members. The Welfare Officer need not be a member of the Committee, but shall advise the Committee on all relevant procedures.
28. Water Safety
Club members shall observe the ARA's 'Water Safety Code'.
The Club shall appoint a Safety Advisor whose duty it will be to understand the requirements of the ARA Code of Practice for Water Safety and to advise on their prominent display, their observation and their implementation at all times. The Safety Advisor shall be an elected member of the Committee.
Byelaw adopted by Committee on 4th October 2005 under rule 17:
Members shall not park vehicles on Whittet's Ait, except by using the visitors' spaces for pick-up and drop-off with a maximum stay of 30 minutes.
Subscriptions for 2007/2008 (from 1st October 2007)
Senior member £240 Junior member £150 Student member £150 Coxing member £30 Associate member £30 Temporary member £20 for a maximum of 4 weeks New or joining members Full annual rate for those joining between 1st October and 31st March
Two-thirds of annual rate for those joining between 1st April and 31st May
Half of annual rate for those joining between 1st June and 30th September
All plus a £10 joining feeRenewing members Those renewing in full before 1st October 2007 can enjoy the old rates
(£230 seniors, £135 juniors & students)Family discount 25% off subscriptions for every second and subsequent family member at the same address. The largest fee must be paid in full. Use of gym at Heathside £3 seniors, £1.50 juniors per session; or £30 per term Sculling rack (outside) £50 Sculling rack (inside) £100