Constitution

The name of the group shall be Newcastle City Riders.

The Objects of Newcastle City Riders are:

To advance the physical health and mental well-being of Members by providing encouragement, facilities and support for the take-up of cycling, and associated social and leisure activities and to support by donation of any ride-sponsorship raised by those Members to any cancer or cancer-related charitable organization the Members may see fit.

Newcastle upon Tyne, North Tyneside and surrounding areas.

To further the Objects, Newcastle City Riders has the power to:

4.1               Recruit volunteers.

4.2               Work in partnership with other organisations.

4.3               Acquire and dispose of property and equipment (subject to any consents required by law).

4.4               Invest funds in any lawful way.  Professional advice should be taken when necessary.

4.5               Raise funds by any lawful means except permanent trading.

4.6               Accept gifts either for the general purposes of Newcastle City Riders or for a specific purpose within or connected with the Objects.

4.7               Do anything else within the law which promotes or helps to promote the Objects.

5.1               Membership is open to any individual aged 18 or over or organisation that agrees with the Objects.  Each Member has one vote.

5.2               The Committee may set up a youth Membership and any other types of Membership that they decide.

5.3               The Committee must keep an up to date list of the Members of Newcastle City Riders

5.4               A Member may resign by written notice to the group.

5.5               If the Committee considers that a Member’s conduct is harmful to Newcastle City Riders:

5.5.1   the Committee should ask the Member concerned, or someone on behalf of the Member concerned, to put his or her case to a Committee meeting.

5.5.2   if, after hearing the Member’s case the Committee decides that the Member should leave the group; they may terminate the Membership by written notice.

5.5.3   if the Member wishes to appeal against the decision, a written appeal notice must be submitted by the Member to the Committee within 14 days.  The Committee must convene a meeting within 7 days of receipt of the notice to consider the written appeal.  The Member may be requested to attend the meeting to put his or her case to the Committee.  If after hearing the Member’s appeal the Committee uphold their decision for the Member to leave, the Member will receive written notification within 7 days.

6.1      The group shall be managed by a Committee of not less than three and not more than twelve Members.  All Committee Members must be Members of Newcastle City Riders.

6.2      Committee Members shall stand from the end of the AGM at which they were elected to the end of the next AGM.

6.3      The Committee shall include a Chair, Secretary, Treasurer and other people to share the tasks involved in running Newcastle City Riders.

6.4      The Committee shall meet a minimum of four times a year, and must keep a formal record of all meetings.

6.5      The quorum for a Management Committee meeting is three Members.

6.6      Each Committee Member has one vote, and if the vote is tied, the Chair has a second casting vote.

6.7      The Committee has the power to co-opt up to three Members on to the Committee to fill vacant places until the next Annual General Meeting.  Each co-opted Member has one vote.

6.8      The Committee has the power to form working sub-groups under the direction of the Committee to carry out specific tasks necessary for the running of the group and these sub-groups must report their activities and progress regularly at Committee meetings.

7.1      The Secretary must give 21 days notice of a General Meeting to all Members.

7.2      All Members are entitled to attend and vote at the meeting.

7.3      The quorum for a meeting is five Members, or a tenth of the Membership, whichever is the greater.

7.4      A formal record of a General Meeting shall be kept.

7.5      The Annual General Meeting (AGM) shall be held in February of each year, or as soon as possible afterwards.

7.6      The AGM will

n             Elect the Committee Members on a show of hands who will stand from the end of the AGM to the next AGM.

n             Receive a report of the year’s activities.

n             Receive the year’s accounts.

7.7      The Committee can call a Special General Meeting (SGM) at any time.  If five Members request a SGM in writing, the Secretary must call one to take place within 21 days of the request and inform all Members of the details of the meeting.

8.1      All funds belonging to or raised for Newcastle City Riders must be used in furthering the Objects.

8.2      The Treasurer shall keep an account of all income and expenditure and shall present independently examined accounts at the AGM.

8.3      An Independent Examiner, who is not a Member of the group, shall be appointed to examine the accounts.

8.4      There shall be one or more bank or building society accounts in the name of the group.  Cheques must be signed by two Committee Members, who must not be related.

8.5      Committee Members may claim reasonable out-of-pocket expenses on terms approved by the Committee. No other payments can be made to Members of the group.

This Constitution can only be changed at a General Meeting.  The Secretary must give 21 days notice of the meeting to all the Members, along with details of the proposed changes to the Constitution.  For the Constitution to be changed over half of the Members present at the meeting must agree.

10.1    The Newcastle City Riders can only be dissolved at a General Meeting.  The Secretary must give 21 days notice of the meeting to all the Members, along with details of the proposed dissolution.  For the group to be dissolved over half of the Members present at the meeting must agree.

10.2    If the Members agree that Newcastle City Riders should be dissolved, any assets remaining after the clearing of all debts and liabilities shall be given to a group with similar charitable Objects or to any cancer or cancer-related charity.

Until the first annual general meeting takes place, this Constitution shall take effect as if references in it to the management Committee were references to the people whose signatures appear at the bottom of this document.