1. Name
The name of the organisation shall be “Friends of Orchard Walk”
2. Objectives
The Group shall have as its aim the improvement of the aesthetics, safety and enjoyment of Orchard Walk in Kingston upon Thames. This includes:
- Liaise with the council and all political parties to achieve an agreed status for the area which reflects the consensus opinion of local residents, and act as a conduit for lobbying local government for improvements to Orchard Walk
- Seeking sponsorship for initiatives from local businesses
- Volunteering and coordinating volunteers for improvement activities.
- Protecting the local environment of Orchard Walk
The Group will uphold equal opportunities and work towards good relations amongst all members of the community, specifically prohibiting any conduct which discriminates or harasses on grounds of race, religion, disability, political belief, sex or sexual orientation.
3. Membership
a) Full membership shall be open to all residents, irrespective of tenure, of the housing adjoining Orchard Walk. Full members have voting rights at meetings and regarding the composition of the Committee.
b) Associate ‘Friends’ membership shall be open to all residents local to the area (defined as living within 500m of Orchard Walk). Associate members are able to attend meetings.
c) All voting members must be at least 16 years of age.
d) Membership shall cease upon a person leaving the area defined in paragraph 3a.
e) Membership shall be by subscription. The fee is to be set by the committee and reviewed at the AGM.
4. Management Committee
a) A committee shall be elected at the Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the Group, through a vote of Full members
b) The committee shall consist of at least three Full members, who shall have the power to co-opt other members on to the committee, during the course of the year. All Full members will have voting rights.
c) The AGM shall elect a Chairperson, Secretary and Treasurer. No committee member shall fill more than one position.
d) Only the Chairperson, Secretary and Treasurer are required to sign minutes
e) The committee and office bearers shall make and carry out decisions in accordance with the objectives of the Association / Group.
f) Meetings of the committee shall be open to any member of the Group who wishes to attend
g) There must be at least three of the committee members present for any decisions to be made at a committee meeting.
h) Voting members may be co-opted from residents to fill casual vacancies throughout the year.
i) Committee members must declare any interest they may have in the topic under discussion and the committee will decide if they need to forfeit their right to vote on this occasion.
5. Conduct of Business or Standing Orders
a) Members may speak only through the Chair.
b) Decisions will be agreed by a simple majority, voted in through a show of hands, or a secret ballot.
c) Meetings will end at the time agreed by the committee unless all those present agree to extend the meeting.
d) Any offensive behaviour, including racist, ageist, sexist or inflammatory remarks will not be permitted.
e) Any member who brings the Group in to disrepute or refuses to comply with the constitution shall be expelled on a majority vote of the full committee.
f) Any such member will have the right to appeal within 28 days of the expulsion. The appeal shall be heard by the membership at a Special General Meeting called for the purpose.
g) The Secretary shall deal with all correspondence.
h) Agendas will be distributed to the membership at least 2 days before a meeting, where possible. Items for the agenda should be put forward seven days before the meeting, where possible.
i) Minutes will be distributed to the membership seven days after a meeting, where possible.
6 Finance
a) The Group may raise funds by subscription, obtaining grants from other bodies or by fundraising schemes. All money raised by or on behalf of the Group shall be applied to further its objectives.
b) All funds shall be kept in a bank account that shall be opened in the name of the Group.
c) The Secretary, Treasury and the Chairperson shall be signatories on the account and all cheques shall require two of these signatures.
d) Accounts shall be kept by the Treasurer, and brought to every committee meeting where they may be inspected.
e) All expenditure shall be agreed and controlled by the committee. Receipts should be acquired for all expenditure over one pound.
f) Once a year the accounts will be audited and presented at the AGM of the Group.
g) All correspondence of the Group shall be addressed to the Secretary.
7. Committee Meetings
a) The committee shall meet at least 4 times each year.
b) The quorum for a meeting shall be 3.
c) The committee shall be accountable for the members at all time.
d) All meetings must be minuted and available to any interested party.
e) All committee members shall be given at least seven days’ notice of a meeting unless it is deemed an emergency meeting.
8. General Public Meetings
a) The committee shall call at least one general public meeting each year. The purpose of these meetings is for the group to account for its actions and consider the regeneration and development of the group’s objectives.
b) The Chair of the group shall normally chair these meetings.
c) At least 14 days’ notice of such a meeting must be given and advertised publicly.
d) All meetings, including AGMs, must be minuted and available to any interested party.
e) The quorum for a General Meeting is 3.
9. Annual General Meeting
a) An AGM shall be held every year to discuss the activities of the Group, to receive the audited accounts and to elect the committee.
b) The AGM shall be held at a suitably accessible venue to accommodate as many members as possible.
10. Changes to the Constitution
a) Proposals for amendments to this constitution, or dissolution (see Clause 11) must be delivered to the Secretary in writing. The Secretary in conjunction with all other officers, shall then decide on the date of a forum meeting to discuss such proposals, giving at least four weeks’ clear notice.
b) Any changes to this constitution must be agreed by a majority of those members present and voting at any general meeting.
11. 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. Any assets shall be returned to their providers, if they require it, or shall be passed to another group with similar aims, or donated to the Council to benefit the relevant green space.
12. Adoption of the constitution
This constitution was adopted by the members present at the AGM held on 28 September 2024.
Signed by committee:
Will Wilson (Chair)
Helen Brennan (Secretary)
Charles Cotton (Treasurer)
Also present:
Hilary Insall (Full Member)
Paul Concannon (Full Member)