Sussex Area of NAFAS – Constitution 2021
1. TITLE
The title of the Association shall be the Sussex Area of the National Association of Flower Arrangement Societies. The Association is a charity registered with the Charity Commission, Registered Number 292377 (England and Wales), and the short title shall be Sussex Area of NAFAS. The operational name shall be Flower Arranging & Design Sussex.
2. TRUSTEES
To comply with the Charity Commissioners’ recommendation, Trustees will be appointed. These will be named at the Annual General Meeting and will comprise the Area Chairman, Area Vice Chairman, Area Secretary, Area Treasurer, Chairman of the Judges, Demonstrators, Speakers & Education (JDS&E) Committee and all other serving members of the Executive Committee.
3. MEMBERSHIP
Membership of the Association is open to any organised Flower Arrangement Association or Club formed within the counties of East and West Sussex together with any such Club outside the county boundaries that by virtue of communication or geographical location prefers to belong to the Sussex Area.
4. OBJECTS
The objects of the Association shall be to advance public awareness and education in the art of flower arranging and related subjects in the Sussex Area and to further any other charitable purpose or purposes.
FUNCTIONS
In furtherance of the above objects but not further or otherwise the Association shall have the following functions:
a. To give advice and guidance to its member societies on matters connected with the flower arrangement movement.
b. To compile a panel of qualified Judges, Demonstrators, Speakers and Teachers within the Sussex Area of the Association’s activities and for this purpose to provide courses and tests of competence as may be considered necessary.
c. To be the link between the Member Societies and the National Association of Flower Arrangement Societies.
d. To hold Area exhibitions and competitions.
e. To hold lectures and/or courses of instruction in the practice of flower arranging and subjects related thereto.
f. To distribute publications relating to flower arranging or subjects related thereto.
g. To encourage the education, cultural and charitable aspects of the flower arrangement movement.
h. To raise funds from any person by way of subscriptions or otherwise.
i. To do all such other lawful things as will further the objects of the Association.
6. AFFILIATION FEES
The annual affiliation fees shall be determined on a per capita basis at the Sussex Area Annual General Meeting or at an Extraordinary General Meeting. Each Club shall pay its subscription to the Area Treasurer based on the maximum membership during the twelve months prior to 1st October.
MANAGEMENT AND ADMINISTRATION
7. AREA PROCEEDINGS
a. All Area meetings and procedures (Council, Committees, General Meetings etc.) may be held by suitable electronic or virtual means, in which each participant may communicate with all the other participants.
b. A resolution in writing or in electronic form shall be as valid and official as if it had been passed at a meeting duly convened and held.
8 AREA COUNCIL
a. The Area Council shall be the governing body of the Sussex Area and shall consist of Club Delegates, the Area Chairman, Area Vice Chairman, Area Secretary and Area Treasurer.
b. Each Member Club shall appoint a Delegate to serve on the Area Council. Such Delegates shall be empowered by their club to vote at Council Meetings. It is the responsibility of each Club Delegate to report fully to their Club on Area matters. If the Delegate is unable to attend a meeting, a deputy or proxy shall be appointed by the Club to attend with full voting rights. For any Council Meeting if it is not possible for a Delegate or their Representative to attend the meeting, the Club may register with the Area Secretary for a postal or email vote. This vote must be received by the Area Secretary no later than 48 hours before the meeting. The chairman of the meeting (normally the Chairman of the Sussex Area) shall have the casting vote.
c. It is recommended that a Delegate shall not serve for more than three consecutive years.
d. The Council shall meet at least four times in any one year and at least one third of the Member Clubs shall be a quorum.
f. At least twenty-one days’ notice of a meeting of the Council shall be given by the Area Secretary to Council Members.
g. A member of the Executive Committee shall not act as a Club Delegate. If a Delegate is appointed to the Executive Committee, a new Club Delegate shall be appointed by the Club concerned.
9 ELECTION OF OFFICERS
a. The elected officers of the Association shall be Area Chairman, Area Vice Chairman, Area Secretary and Area Treasurer.
b. Each year, in August, the Area Secretary shall supply nomination papers to Member Clubs for any Officer vacancies. Nominations, which shall include brief details of the service and experience of the candidate(s), must be returned to the Area Secretary by 30th September. Any member of the Area, providing that they are not serving on the committee of any other Area, is eligible for election to any office.
c. In the event of more than one nomination being received for a position, the Area Secretary shall distribute voting papers including brief details of the service and experience of each candidate with the Agenda for the Annual General Meeting. The secret ballot shall be counted at the Annual General Meeting by the President and one independent teller (a non-Sussex Area Member) and the results advised to Council.
d. The Chairman and Vice Chairman of the Area shall normally serve for a maximum period of three years.
e. All other members of the Executive Committee shall normally serve for a period of three years but may be re-elected to serve for additional years to a maximum of six years in that office.
f. The Area Chairman may, with the permission of the Executive Committee and on a temporary basis, appoint member(s) to fill vacancies on the Executive Committee caused by resignation or illness.
g. The appointment of any unelected members of the Executive Committee shall be ratified subsequently by Council. These members should then stand for election at the next AGM.
10 EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
a. The Executive Committee elected by the Council shall undertake the day-to-day management of the Area.
b. The Executive Committee shall consist of the Area Chairman, Area Vice Chairman, Area Secretary, Area Treasurer, Chairman of the JDS&E Committee, Area Programme Administrator, Area Ticket Administrator, and Area Media Administrator. A quorum shall be four. In the event of the Chairman of the JDS&E Committee being unable to attend an Executive meeting, a nominated deputy may attend.
c. The Area Secretary shall be the administrator of the Area Association.
d. The Area Secretary shall convene meetings of the Executive Committee as and when necessary and decisions taken at such meetings shall be subject to ratification at the next full Council Meeting.
e. The Area Treasurer shall be responsible for the collection of all affiliation fees, the maintenance of financial records in adequate form and the preparation of the Annual Financial Statement for examination, prior to its submission to the Executive Committee. The Area Treasurer shall be responsible for insurance cover for the Area and its events and provide assistance on this subject to Member Clubs. The Area Treasurer shall submit an annual estimated income and expenditure for approval at the August Council Meeting.
f. No major expenditure shall be incurred by the Executive Committee without prior consent of the Council.
g. The Executive Committee may form sub-committees or organise specific events if considered appropriate. The Chairman of any such sub-committee shall report to the Executive Committee.
h. In the case of an equality of votes, the chairman of the meeting (normally the Area Chairman) shall be entitled to a casting vote.
11 AREA APPOINTMENTS
a. Area Council shall nominate members to undertake the positions of, which may include, but not limited to, the following:
Area Media Administrator – Executive Committee position
Area Programme Administrator – Executive Committee position
Area Ticket Administrator – Executive Committee position
Area Publications Administrator – non-Executive Committee position
Area Flower Arranger Administrator – non-Executive Committee position
Editor of Area Newsletter – non-Executive Committee position
Area Web Administrator – non-Executive Committee position
These administrators shall attend Area and National Association meetings as appropriate from time to time.
b. Their duties shall include but are not limited to the following:
The Area Media Administrator shall promote the affairs and events of the Area through the media of radio, television and all other channels of communication.
The Area Programme Administrator will organise the programme of events for the Area after seeking agreement with the Executive Committee.
The Area Ticket Administrator will manage the sale of tickets for Area events.
The Area Publications Administrator shall deal with the promotion, ordering, sale and all matters connected with the NAFAS publications in the Area.
The Area Flower Arranger Administrator shall deal with the promotion, ordering and all matters connected with the allocation of The Flower Arranger magazine in the Area.
The Editor of the Area Newsletter shall obtain, collate and publish articles, news and advertisements.
The Area Web Administrator will administer the Area website.
c. These administrators shall be required to submit regularly a written report on their activities to the Executive Committee.
12 JDS&E COMMITTEE
a. A Judges, Demonstrators, Speakers and Education Committee shall consist of up to nine members with a minimum of four being selected from the current JDS&E List, preferably with representation from each discipline. The Area Photography Representative will serve on the JDS&E Committee.
b. The representatives for each discipline shall attend the appropriate meetings called by the National Association.
c. The JDS&E Committee shall undertake the day-to-day activities of training and testing of judges, demonstrators and speakers, in accordance with the current practice within the National Association.
d. The Committee shall provide current information and hold refresher days for members on the Area JDS&E List. In addition, they shall ensure the educational needs of the Area are met e.g. Area workshops. The Committee shall receive, investigate and deal with any complaints which are made by Clubs in writing regarding judges, demonstrators, speakers and teachers.
e. The Committee shall receive, investigate and deal with any complaints which are made by any judges, demonstrators, speakers and teachers
f. The Chairman of the JDS&E Committee shall report to Area Council on the activities of the Committee.
g. No major expenditure shall be incurred by the JDS&E Committee without prior consent of the Executive Committee and Area Council.
h. The Chairman of the JDS&E Committee shall serve on the Executive Committee.
i. A quorum shall be four.
j. In the case of an equality of votes, the JDS&E Chairman shall be entitled to a casting vote.
13 ELECTION OF JDS&E COMMITTEE
a. The members of the JDS&E Committee shall be selected preferably from the current Area JDS&E List by the JDS&E Chairman with the approval of the Executive Committee, providing that they are not serving on the committee of another Area.
b. The Chairman and Vice Chairman of the JDS&E Committee shall be elected from the JDS&E Committee, by its members.
c. The Chairman and Vice Chairman shall serve a three-year term and shall be eligible to serve additional terms to fulfil this office if required, to a maximum of six years.
d. Committee members shall serve a three-year term, but will be eligible to serve again if required, to a maximum of six years.
e. The JDS&E Chairman may appoint members to fill vacancies on the JDS&E Committee subject to the approval of the JDS&E Committee and the Executive Committee.
14 DISMISSAL
Area Council shall be empowered to ask for the resignation of any member of the Executive Committee at any time should it be necessary in the interest of the Area.
15 PRESIDENT AND VICE PRESIDENT
Area Council shall have the opportunity to submit names for consideration by the Executive Committee for the position of President and Vice President.
The President of the Sussex Area shall hold office for not more than three years.
The Vice President of the Sussex Area shall serve for one year prior to taking office as President.
16 NAFAS ASSOCIATES OF HONOUR
The Sussex Area Executive Committee may nominate up to three members to be NAFAS Associates of Honour, chosen for their outstanding work and contribution to the Area Association at National and Area level, for approval by the National Advisory Council. The Honour is for life.
17 SUSSEX AWARD OF MERIT
The Executive Committee may recommend to Council that a member of the Sussex Area be awarded a Sussex Award of Merit as a reward for exceptional service to the Area. The Honour is for life.
18 ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING
a. There shall be an Annual General Meeting of members held within eight weeks of the termination of the financial year on 30th September. At least twenty-one days’ notice of the Annual General Meeting shall be given by the Area Secretary detailing the matters to be considered.
b. The Annual General Meeting shall be chaired by the Area President or in their absence by a chairman appointed by the Executive Committee. The Chairman of the Annual General Meeting shall have the casting vote.
c. Each Club affiliated to the Sussex Area of NAFAS shall be entitled to one vote at the Annual General Meeting.
d. Any member of the Sussex Area may attend the Annual General Meetings but may not vote.
e. One third of all club delegates shall form a quorum.
f. At the Annual General Meeting reports shall be received from the Area Chairman, Area Treasurer and Chairman of the JDS&E Committee and approved
An Extraordinary General Meeting of the Association may be called by the Executive Committee, or, if at least seven Member Clubs request such a meeting in writing, stating the business to be considered. At least twenty-one days’ notice of the Extraordinary General Meeting shall be given by the Area Secretary detailing the matter(s) to be considered.
19 FINANCE
a. Bank and investment accounts shall be opened in the name of the Sussex Area of NAFAS at such banks or building societies as the Area Council may authorise.
b. The financial year of the Area shall be 1st October to 30th September.
c. The Area accounts must be examined by a person with financial expertise who shall be appointed at each Annual General Meeting on the recommendation of the Executive Committee, in accordance with current charity legislation.
d. All payments in whatever form shall be authorised by two signatories from a list of signatories approved by Council.
e. One cheque book shall be held by the JDS&E Committee.
20 ALTERATIONS
Notice of any proposed alteration to the Constitution shall be supplied in writing to Member Clubs and shall appear as an item on the Agenda of a General Meeting. These alterations must be ratified by two-thirds of the votes cast at the General Meeting of the Area.
21 DISSOLUTION AND DISPOSAL OF ASSETS
If the Executive Committee decides that it is necessary or advisable to dissolve the Charity it shall call an Extraordinary General Meeting of the Area, of which at least twenty-one days’ notice shall be given (stating the terms of the resolution to be proposed). If the proposal is confirmed by a two thirds majority of those voting the Executive Committee shall have the power to realise any assets held by or on behalf of the Charity. Any assets remaining after the satisfaction of any proper debts and liabilities shall be given or transferred to such other charitable institution or institutions having objects similar to the objects of the Charity as the members of the Charity may determine or failing that shall be applied for some other charitable purpose.
A copy of the statement of Accounts for the final account period of the Charity shall be sent to the Charity Commission.