Cheltenham Welcomes Refugees

Constitution

Proposed Changes to our Constitution - November 2019

To become effective, the below changes will need to be agreed by members at out AGM on Monday 4 November. You're invited to weigh in and vote on these changes at the meeting.

A key initial concern is that the original CWR Constitution, drawn up in 2016, refers only to refugees, and also restricts our activities to helping only those refugees who come to live in Cheltenham. Two important changes to the constitution are now being proposed.

The first widens our aims to extend our help and support to people seeking asylum, in addition to those who are here as refugees.

The second allows us to undertake other initiatives, whether in the UK or elsewhere, which do important positive work for refugees, while being consistent with the underlying aims and objectives of our group. An example would be the work we've lately been undertaking to develop links between students in local schools with those living in refugees camps in Lebanon - we believe this is an important opportunity for us to provide help, and we've been able to do it at low cost, but it isn't covered by the existing conditions of our constitution.

A further minor change is also proposed relating to the way payments are made. This reflects the way we've been working in practice, as agreed with our bank. 

If you have any comments on these changes or would like more information, please email us at chelt.refugees@gmail.com.

The full revised constitution for November 2019 can be found here.

As amended at the Annual General Meeting held on 2nd October 2017

1. Name

1.1 The name of the Group shall be Cheltenham Welcomes Refugees.

2. Aims

2.1 The aims of the Group shall be to:

(a) help develop a sympathetic awareness and understanding of the plight of those refugees that come to Great Britain from Syria and elsewhere and specifically towards those that come to the Cheltenham area;

(b) work in partnership with Gloucestershire Action for Refugees and Asylum Seekers (GARAS), the relevant local authorities and other bodies to help those refugees that settle in Cheltenham in any way that may be necessary to enable them to lead satisfactory and fulfilling lives and to help them become accepted by, and integrated into, the local community.

2.2 The assistance given under 2(b) above shall include, but is not limited to, the provision of household equipment, good and services.

3. Powers

3.1 To further these aims the Committee shall have power to:

(a)    Obtain, collect and receive money or funds by way of contributions, donations, grants and any other lawful method towards the aims of the Group;

(b)   Purchase or receive by way of donations any household or other goods or services that are intended to meet the need of refugees in becoming established in their new homes and to distribute or dispose of these goods and services in any way which the Committee considers will contribute to the aims of the Group;

(c)    Associate with local authorities, voluntary organisations and residents of the Cheltenham area in a common effort to carry out the aims of the Group;

(d)   Do all such other lawful things as the Committee believes will further the aims of the Group.

4. Membership

4.1 Membership is open to anyone who:

(a) Lives in Cheltenham or the surrounding area;

(b) Supports the aims of Cheltenham Welcomes Refugees, and 

(c) Has paid any membership fee which the Committee has determined is be required to be paid.

4.2 The Committee shall have the power to approve or reject applications for membership or to terminate the membership of any member provided that the member shall have the right to be heard by the Committee before a final decision is made.

4.3 A list of all members will be kept by the Secretary.

4.4 A member may resign at any time by writing to the Secretary.

5. Officers and committee

5.1 The business of the group will be carried out by a committee elected at the Annual General Meeting. The Committee will meet not less than three times a year.

5.2 The Committee may set up from time to time such sub-groups as it considers necessary or desirable to help Cheltenham Welcomes Refugees achieve its aims.  In doing so it shall appoint a sub-group leader who shall be responsible for running the sub-group and who shall report monthly to the Committee Chair on the sub-group activities.

5.3 The Committee shall consist of Chair, Secretary, Treasurer, and Publicity Officer, together with the leader(s) of any sub-groups which the Committee has agreed should be set up and are currently functioning.

5.4 The Committee may co-opt up to a further four voting members who shall resign at the next Annual General Meeting.

5.5 Four members of the Committee being present shall enable the business of the group to be carried out.

5.6 A proper record of all transactions and meetings shall be kept by the Secretary and shall be made available, on request, to any member of the Group.

5.7 In the event of an officer, other than the leader of a sub-group, standing down during the year a replacement will be elected by the next General Meeting of members. If the leader of a sub-group stands down, the Committee shall have the power to appoint a replacement.

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

5.9 Every committee meeting will be open to any member of Cheltenham Welcomes Refugees who wishes to attend. Such members may speak at the meeting but shall not vote.

6. Meetings

(a) Annual General Meeting

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

6.2 All members will be notified in writing sent by post or email at least 3 weeks before the date of the meeting, giving the venue, date and time.

6.3 Nominations for the Committee may be made to the Secretary before the meeting, or at the meeting.

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

6.5 At the AGM:-

(a)    The Committee will present a report of the work of Cheltenham Welcomes Refugees over the year;

(b)   The Treasurer will present the accounts of Cheltenham Welcomes Refugees for the previous year;

(c)    The officers and Committee for the next year will be elected;

(d)   Any proposals given to the Secretary in writing at least 7 days in advance of the meeting will be discussed.

(b) Special General Meetings

6.6 The Secretary will call a Special General Meeting at the request of the majority of the Committee or when at least ten other members make a written request to the Chair or Secretary stating the reason for their request.

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

6.8 All members will be given two weeks’ notice of such a meeting, giving the venue, date, time and agenda. Notice may be by telephone, email or post.

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

(c) General Meetings

6.10 General Meetings are open to all members and will be held at least once every 6 months.

6.11 All members will be given two weeks’ notice of such a meeting, giving the venue, date, time and agenda. Notice may be by telephone, email or post.

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

7. Rules of procedure for meetings

7.1 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.

7.2 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

8.1 An account will be maintained on behalf of the Group at a bank agreed by the Committee. Three cheque signatories will be nominated by the Committee, one of which shall be the Treasurer. Any two of these must sign every cheque.

8.2 A record of income and expenditure will be maintained by the Treasurer and a financial statement given to each meeting.

8.3 All money raised by or on behalf of Cheltenham Welcomes Refugees Group is to be used to further the aims of the group, as specified in item 2 of this constitution.

9. Equal opportunities policy

9.1 Cheltenham Welcomes Refugees will not discriminate on the grounds of gender, race, colour, ethnic or national origin, sexuality, disability, religious or political belief, marital status or age.

9.2 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 Committee, accompanied by a friend, before a final decision is made.

10. Amendments to the constitution

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

10.2 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.

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

11. Dissolution

11.1. The Group may be dissolved by a resolution passed by a simple two-thirds majority of those present and voting at a Special General Meeting, the sole business of which is to dissolve the group.

11.2 If confirmed, the Committee shall distribute any assets remaining after the payment of all bills to other charitable group(s) or organisation(s) having aims similar to the Group or some other charitable purpose(s) as the Group may decide.

As amended at the Annual General Meeting held on 2nd October 2017