Club Constitution

&

Code of Conduct

 

 

CONSTITUTION OF Alternative, Retro & Classic Caravan Society

ADOPTED ON: 26/11/2017 [Day/Month/Year]

Name

The name of the Group shall be: Alternative, Retro and Classic Caravan Society

Aims

The aims of the Group shall be to:

  1. Provide members with recreational events primarily as Caravan Rallies
  2. Encourage the use and future preservation of classic and retro caravans.
  3. Provide a source of help and advice from fellow members
  4. Arrange rallies with other like minded clubs eg classic car clubs, or other caravan clubs.

    Powers

In order to achieve its aims the Group may:

    1. Raise money
    2. Open bank accounts
    3. Take out insurance
    4. Employ staff
    5. Acquire and manage buildings
    6. Organise courses and events
    7. Work with other groups and exchange information
    8. Do anything that is lawful which will help it to fulfil its aims

    Membership

    1. Membership of the Group shall be open to any person over 18 or any organisation living or located in the United Kingdom area who is interested in helping the Group to achieve its aims, willing to abide by the rules of the Group and willing to pay any subscription agreed by the Management Committee.
    2. Membership shall be available to anyone without regard to gender, race, nationality, disability, sexual preference, religion or belief.
    3. Every individual member and each organisation shall have one vote at General Meetings.
    4. The membership of any member may be terminated for good reason by the Management Committee but the member has a right to be heard by the Management Committee before a final decision is made.
    5. Each member organisation shall appoint a representative to attend meetings of the Group and notify the Group’s Secretary of that person’s name.

  2. Management

    1. The Group shall be administered by a Management Committee of the Officers and not more than 3 other members elected at the Group`s Annual General Meeting (AGM).
    2. The Officers of the Management Committee shall be: the Chairperson, the Treasurer and the Secretary.
    3. The Management Committee shall meet at least 4 times a year.
    4. The Chairperson shall Chair all meetings of the Group.
    5. The quorum for Management Committee meetings shall be 4 members.
    6. Voting at Management Committee meetings shall be by show of hands. If there is a tied vote then the Chairperson shall have a second vote.
    7. The Management Committee may by a two-thirds majority vote and for a good and proper reason remove any Committee member, provided that person has the right to be heard before a final decision is made.
    8. The Management Committee may appoint another member of the Group as a Committee member to fill a vacancy provided the maximum number is not exceeded.

  3. Duties of the Officers

    1. The duties of the Chairperson are to: • chair meetings of the Committee and the Group • represent the Group at functions/meetings that the Group has been invited to • act as spokesperson for the Group when necessary
    2. The duties of the Secretary are to: • take and keep minutes of meetings • prepare the agenda for meetings of the Committee and the Group in consultation with the Chairperson • maintain the membership list • deal with correspondence • collect and circulate any relevant information within the Group
    3. The duties of the Treasurer are to: • supervise the financial affairs of the Group • keep proper accounts that show all monies collected and paid out by the Group

  1. Finance

    1. Any money obtained by the Group shall be used only for the Group.
    2. Any bank accounts opened for the Group shall be in the name of the Group.
    3. Any cheques issued shall be signed by the Treasurer and one other nominated official.

  2. Annual General Meeting

    1. The Group shall hold an Annual General Meeting (A.G.M.) in the month of ____October to February ____.
    2. All members shall be given at least fourteen days’ notice of the A.G.M. and shall be entitled to attend and vote. The quorum for an AGM shall be 50% of the membership or 20 members (whichever is the lowest number).
    3. The business of the A.G.M. shall include:
      1. receiving a report from the Chairperson on the Group's activities over the year
      2. receiving a report from the Treasurer on the finances of the Group
      3. electing a new Management Committee and
      4. considering any other matter as may be decided.
    4. All reports and audited accounts will be circulated with the AGM notice

  3. Special General Meeting

A Special General Meeting may be called by the Management Committee or by any 25 members or 50% of the membership (whichever is the lowest number) to discuss an urgent matter. The Secretary shall give all members fourteen days’ notice of any Special General Meeting together with notice of the business to be discussed. All members shall be entitled to attend and vote.

  1. Alterations to the Constitution

Any changes to this Constitution must be agreed by at least two-thirds of those members present and voting at any General Meeting.

  1. Dissolution

The Group may be wound up at any time if agreed by two-thirds of those members present and voting at any General Meeting. In the event of winding up, any assets remaining after all debts have been paid shall be given to another Group with similar aims.

Alternative, Retro & Classic Caravan Society (ARCCS.uk) Code of Conduct

  1. Caravans, Campervans and Motorhomes (known as “Unit” for the rest of the document) at display rallies must be no younger than 30 years old unless otherwise defined by the event. Self build caravans or caravans built to a design originating more than 30 years may also be included. Modern caravans which have been drastically altered in a unique way may also be allowed to display at the discretion of the committee.
  2. All Units must have a six metre gap between each vehicle's’ wall when on site.
  3. All Units must have a clearly labelled fire bucket containing water or sand outside when staying at a rally venue.
  4. All Units must be clean, tidy and presentable when on public display.
  5. ARCCS.uk members are reminded that when participating in ARCCS.uk activities they are representing ARCCS.uk . Behaviour deemed to be unacceptable by either the ARCCS.uk Committee or Administration may result in disciplinary action taken against individuals or the Society as a whole.

Code of Conduct – Camping and Caravanning  

 

General

  1. One named member of the organisation (the “rally marshal” or “responsible person”) is to be responsible for the conduct of any exempted touring caravan or camping event and for ensuring that those attending comply with this code.

 

  1. The responsible person must ensure that all members are aware of The Countryside Code, The Caravan Code and Marine Conservation Society (see Annexes 1a-c).

The Venue

  1. The organisation will take reasonable steps to satisfy themselves that the site to be used is not subject to a relevant order under paragraph 13 of the First Schedule to the 1960 Act (for caravans), or an Article 4 direction under Schedule 2 to the Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) Order 1995 (for caravans and camping), and that it is not one where planning permission has been refused or where enforcement action has been taken.

 

  1. The organisation will consult the local authority before meeting on land adjacent to sites for which planning permission has been granted (i.e. next to permanent or commercial sites).

 

  1. The organisation will agree to move from and avoid any site to which the local authority maintains a valid objection.

 

  1. The organisation will not meet on sites adjacent to certificated locations/sites unless the proposed site is clearly differentiated and the risk of interference with local people and other users is minimal.

 

  1. The organisation will take reasonable steps to ensure that the siting of units (a caravan, motor home, tent or trailer tent) does not unduly interfere with the activities of local people, their privacy or their enjoyment of their property. They will also ensure that the siting of units does not interfere with the enjoyment by others of the landscape, natural beauty or nature conservation value of the area, particularly in areas designated for their landscape or wildlife qualities.

 

  1. The organisation will undertake not to over-use any venue and will consider carefully before holding successive meetings on the same land.

 

Nuisance

  1. Local people should be able to carry on their normal activities when meetings are in progress. The organisation will take reasonable steps to minimise disturbance and will investigate and deal with the causes of any complaints made.

 

  1. Care should be taken not to damage the site or the surrounding locality. Trees, fences, buildings, equipment and stock should all be respected.

 

  1. Domestic animals belonging to members of the organisation will be kept on a lead and under close control. They will not be allowed to run loose on the site or cause disturbance to local people or animals. They will be exercised away from units and those parts of the site used for communal activities. Any mess will be cleared up.

 

  1. The responsible person will identify open space suitable for the playing of games which might otherwise intrude upon or constitute a danger or annoyance to others on or around the site.

 

  1. Noise should be kept to a minimum for the comfort of others on the site as well as people who live or work nearby.

 

Road Safety and Access

  1. The responsible person will take steps to ensure that travel from major roads to a proposed site is not likely to cause undue disruption or difficulties for other road users. Access to the site must be suitable for the number and likely size of units attending the meeting. The arrival and departure of units should be arranged to minimise disruption to other road users.

 

  1. The speed of vehicles on the site should be restricted to 5 mph.

 

Spacing and Density

  1. For health and safety purposes emergency vehicles must be able to gain access to any unit on the site. At least 6 metres is required between units in all circumstances. For this purpose a unit means a caravan, motor home, tent or trailer tent.  In addition, there must be a minimum of 3 metres between any awnings, gazebo’s or pup tent and the car or towing vehicle.  Emergency vehicles should be able to secure access at all times to within 90 metres of any unit on the site.

 

  1. Where a site is being used by both caravans and tents they must be sited entirely separate from each other for health & safety reasons. However, this does not necessarily mean segregated. If the layout of the field does not allow for separate lines of tents, it is permissible to continue a line of caravans/motor homes with a line of tents, but they must be sited en-bloc and not interspersed. Trailer tents are classified as tents and must be sited accordingly. Children’s “pup-tents” may be erected alongside the parents’ unit and should be considered as part of the unit for spacing purposes. It is recommended that there is at least 6 metres between any rows of caravans and tents. See Annex 1d for further advice on spacing issues.

 

Fire Precautions

  1. Open fires and barbecues will not be held except with the permission of the responsible person. Where permission is given for open fires or barbecues, they will be sited on open ground, away from units, vehicles, awnings and any other structures.

 

  1. A fire extinguisher approved to British Standards Institute and/or Fire Officers Certificate standards will be held on site.

 

Chemical Toilets and Waste Water Disposal

  1. Organisations will act responsibly when disposing of the contents of chemical toilets and waste water and take full account of the need to safeguard water supplies and prevent the pollution of rivers and streams.

 

  1. On-site disposal of the contents of chemical toilets and waste water will be in accordance with arrangements agreed with the site owner/occupier. Neither will be allowed to foul the ground except at designated disposal points. If there is any doubt about the disposal of waste, the organisation or, if appropriate, the responsible person will contact the relevant Local Authority for advice.

 

Refuse disposal

  1. Organisations should ensure that refuse is either taken home or disposed of in accordance with on-site arrangements. The rally marshal should be satisfied that appropriate arrangements are in place.

 

Additional general paragraph recommended to be included by organisations holding a camping exemption certificate

  1. The organisation will use every endeavour not to camp on any site for more than 42 consecutive days or 60 days in any 12 consecutive months. The organisation will also endeavour not to camp on any site being used for camping by other exempted organisations if, by doing so, the use of this site would be taken over these limits. This will help avoid overuse of sites, particularly in popular areas.

 

ONLINE/SOCIAL MEDIA

General guidance

 

The following principles refer to those personal or unofficial online activities where you might refer to the ARCCS.uk, be it during or outside of a rally event or social activity. The ARCCS.uk encourages members to participate in online communities of shared interest and create, share or consume content. We respect the rights of our members to use blogs and other social media tools (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, Linkedin, websites, forums etc.), not only as a form of self-expression, but also to conduct other activities.

 

However, it is important that all members are aware of the implications of engaging in forms of social media and online conversations that reference the ARCCS.uk, its members and/or administrators.

 

  1. Please ensuring you adhere to the ARCCS.uk Code of Conduct regarding privacy, discrimination, harassment and confidentiality when representing ARCCS.uk.
  2. Never disclose non-public information about the ARCCS.uk.
  3. No Profanities - including words with letter substitutions such as asterisks, dashes etc.  We are a family club and young children may be shown the facebook page. Offenders may be reprimanded and asked to explain their conduct.
  4. Abuse, insults and personal attacks directed at other people, particularly other site users, or forum/page moderators, are unacceptable. ARCCS.uk defines a personal attack as a negative statement directed towards another person.
  5. Please inform the committee when you find criticism or compliments. If you come across positive or negative remarks about the ARCCS.uk or members that you believe are important, please forward them to the ARCCS.uk Committee.
  6. The ARCCS.uk respects your right to free speech, but you must remember that other members and families will often have access to what you post – whether you intended it or not. Even where it is inadvertent, there is potential for you to find yourself embroiled in conflict and/or innuendo that may be detrimental to your personal and/or the ARCCS.uk relationships with other members.
  7. Please assume that anything posted on the internet is permanent. This includes direct messaging. Once information is posted online, it is essentially impossible to “remove or delete” it later or attempt to make it anonymous.

 

DISCRIMINATION

It is a policy of the ARCCS.uk to prohibit discrimination amongst its Members. Discrimination may include, but is not limited to, discrimination on the basis of race, gender, sex, ethnic or social origin, colour, age, disability, religion, conscience, belief, political opinion, culture, language or marital status. No member may discriminate, directly or indirectly, against any other member. Harassment of any member, whether of a sexual nature or otherwise, constitutes a form of discrimination.

 

BREACH OF THE CODE OF CONDUCT

 

Where possible any breach of the Code of Conduct will be managed by a gentle manner, where the committee will help educate members to what has gone wrong so as to avoid it from happening again. However, repeated failure to adhere to the ARCCS.uk Code of Conduct may result in disciplinary action. To determine if a breach has been committed a member will be called in front of the ARCCS.uk committee and the member will have the right to bring along a representative. Once it has been determined a breach has occurred, a suitable disciplinary action will be decided upon.

 

This may include one or more of the following:

  1. written warning
  2. suspension of social media membership
  3. suspension of ARCCS.uk membership
  4. termination of ARCCS.uk membership

 

Any action will be issued in writing and any member will have the right to appeal unless there is overriding safeguarding issue.

 

It is very important that when referring to the ARCCS.uk or its members, as covered by this policy, you do not directly or indirectly put yourself in a position where such failure to comply may be assumed.