NFC CONSTITUTION

Newcastle Film Club Constitution

1. Name

The name of the group shall be Newcastle Film Club.

 

2. Aims

The aims of Newcastle Film Club will be:

• To bring together and foster creativity through filmmaking and media production amongst the people of Newcastle and surrounding areas

• To teach film production skills to help members share culture and experiences

• To offer opportunities to collaborate and create content regardless of experience level

• To lead a united front for the development of community filmmaking in the North East 

 

3. Membership

Membership is open to anyone who:

• is aged 14 years old and over; and

• attends a Newcastle Film Club meeting and/or event; and

• supports the aims of Newcastle Film Club

 

Membership will begin after attending a Newcastle Film Club meeting and/or event.

 

Members who are aged 14 - 17 must attend all Newcastle Film Club meetings and/or events with a legal guardian.

 

A list of all members will be kept by the Vice President.

 

Ceasing to be a member

Members may resign at any time in writing to the Secretary who can be reached by emailing newcastlefilmclub@gmail.com

 

Any member who has not attended a meeting or event within a year will be considered a ‘non-active’ member. This has no effect on the member’s ability to participate in any future events or meetings. They simply must attend a meeting or event in order to change their status to ‘active’ member. 

 

Any offensive behaviour, including racist, sexist or inflammatory remarks, will not be permitted. Anyone behaving in an offensive way or breaking the equal opportunities policy may be asked not to attend further meetings or to resign from the group if an apology is not given or the behaviour is repeated. The individual concerned shall have the right to be heard by the management committee, accompanied by a friend, before a final decision is made.

 

4. Equal Opportunities

Newcastle Film Club will not discriminate on the grounds of sex, race (including colour, ethnic or national origin), sexual orientation, disability, gender identity, religious or political belief, pregnancy or maternity, marital status or age.

 

5. Officers and committee

The business of the group will be carried out by Officers, (also known as the Leadership Team) and committee members all of which are elected at the Annual General Meeting. 

 

Read how elections are conducted and register your interest for a Leadership or Committee member role. 

 

The Leadership Team will meet as necessary and not less than six times a year. Leadership meetings are to be attended by officers and committee members only. 

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The Committee will consist of 7 members, and be composed of 5 officers and 2 committee members. 

 

The officer roles are as follows, click on the title to read a full list of responsibilities for that role:

• President, who shall chair both general and committee meetings

• Vice President, who shall keep records of members and ensure that meetings and other activities proceed smoothly

• Secretary, who shall be responsible for the taking of minutes and oversee the distribution of all papers

• Social Chair, who shall be responsible for maintaining the online presence of the Newcastle Film Club

• Treasurer, who shall be responsible for maintaining accounts

 

The committee member roles are as followed, click on the title to read a full list of responsibilities for that role:

• Media Committee Member, who shall assist the Social Chair by taking pictures and videos during Newcastle Film Club meetings and events

• Brand Ambassador, who shall be a recruiter of new members and assist the Leadership Team where necessary and capable 

In the event of an officer or committee member standing down during the year a replacement will be elected by the next General Meeting of members and a transition period of 2 weeks will occur where the previous officer/committee member assists their successor before fully standing down.

Any officer or committee member not attending a meeting without apology for three months will be contacted by the committee and asked if they wish to resign.

 

6. Meetings

6.1. Annual General Meetings

An Annual General Meeting (AGM) will be held within fifteen months of the previous AGM.

 

All members will be notified in writing via email and social media channels at least 3 weeks before the date of the meeting, giving the venue, date and time.

 

The quorum for the AGM will be 10% of the membership or 10 members, whichever is the greater number.

 

At the AGM:

• The Leadership Team will present a report of the work of Newcastle Film Club over the year.

• The Leadership Team will present the accounts of Newcastle Film Club for the previous year.

• The Officers and Committee for the next year will be elected.

• Any proposals given to the Secretary at least 7 days in advance of the meeting will be discussed.

 

6.2 Special General Meetings

The Secretary will call a Special General Meeting at the request of the majority of the committee or at least five other members giving a written request to the President or Secretary stating the reason for their request.

 

The meeting will take place within twenty-one days of the request.

 

All members will be given two weeks' notice of such a meeting, giving the venue, date, time and agenda, and notice may be by social media channels or email.

 

The quorum for the Special General Meeting will be 10% of the membership or 10 members, whichever is the greater number.

 

Example of a Special General Meeting: The club needs to find a new venue and the Leadership Team would like to propose a new date and time for meetings. 

 

6.3 General Meetings

General Meetings are open to all members and will be held at least once a month or more often if necessary.

 

All members will be given two weeks’ notice of such a meeting, giving the venue, date, time and agenda, and notice may be by social media channels or email.

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The quorum for a General Meeting shall be 10% of the membership or 5 members, whichever is the greater number.

 

6.4 Leadership Meetings

Leadership meetings may be called by the President or Secretary. Leadership members must receive notice of any non-recurring meetings at least 4 days before the meeting. 

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The quorum for Leadership meetings is three Leadership members.

 

7. Rules of Procedure for meetings

All questions that arise at any meeting will be discussed openly and the meeting will seek to find general agreement that everyone present can agree to.

 

If a consensus cannot be reached a vote will be taken and a decision will be made by a simple majority of members present. If the number of votes cast on each side is equal, the chair of the meeting shall have an additional casting vote.

 

8. Finances

An account will be maintained on behalf of the Association at a bank agreed by the committee. Three cheque signatories will be nominated by the Leadership Team (one to be the Treasurer).  The signatories must not be related nor members of the same household.

 

All payments will be signed off by two of the signatories.

• For cheque payments, a signatory will sign the cheque after agreement by the other two signatories

• For other payments (such as BACS payments, cash withdrawals, debit card payments or cash payments), a requisition note will be signed by two signatories, and held by the treasurer.

 

Records of income and expenditure will be maintained by the Treasurer and a financial statement given quarterly if not requested or determined to be needed sooner.

 

All money raised by or on behalf of Newcastle Film Club is only to be used to further the aims of the group, as specified in item 2 of this constitution.

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9. Amendments to the Constitution

Amendments to the constitution may only be made at the Annual General Meeting or a Special General Meeting.

 

Any proposal to amend the constitution must be given to the Secretary in writing. The proposal must then be circulated with the notice of meeting.

 

Any proposal to amend the constitution will require a two thirds majority of those present and entitled to vote.

 

10. Dissolution

If a meeting, by simple majority, decides that it is necessary to close down the group it may call a Special General Meeting to do so. The sole business of this meeting will be to dissolve the group.

 

If it is agreed to dissolve the group, all remaining money and other assets, once outstanding debts have been paid, will be donated to a local charitable organisation. The organisation will be agreed at the meeting which agrees the dissolution.

 

This constitution was agreed at the Inaugural General Meeting of the Newcastle Film Club on:

 

Date: 03/02/2023

Name and position in group: SAMANTHA CASTRO, PRESIDENT
Signed: Samantha Castro

Name and position in group: STUART HUNTER, VICE PRESIDENT
Signed: Stuart Hunter