The Society shall be called The Lancaster Photographic Society, hereinafter referred to as ‘The Society’ or ‘LPS’.
Objective:
To reach out to all City residents, to community support groups and to visitors, with public exhibitions, social media and structured, learning programmes.
To promote interest and excellence in still and moving image photography within and around the City of Lancaster through a season of regular weekly meetings providing education, recreation and competition.
Membership:
Membership shall be by annual subscription, which is dependent on the type of membership held. Subscriptions will be reviewed annually. Members will be informed of the current subscription rate and any amendments thereto, if and when they become necessary.
Any person over the age of 14 with an interest in photography shall be eligible for application for membership of the Society.
The Society is committed to providing an inclusive environment for all, regardless of gender, age, gender identity, race, health status, national origin, relationship status, sexual orientation, disability, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, and religion.
The Committee has the power to rescind membership of anyone who shows conduct contrary to the interests of the Society. A letter stating the reason for (or circumstances of) the expulsion, and signed by two members of the committee of the Society, shall be issued to the offending member. Right of appeal shall be allowed. On dismissal, there shall be no refund of subscription.
Subscriptions:
All subscriptions shall fall due on the 1st of September each year (or the first meeting of the season in September) and shall be payable to the Treasurer.
The Society’s main season shall run from the 1st September to the 31st May. Summer activities may or may not take place at the discretion of the committee.
Members joining the Society between 1st September and 31st December shall pay the full membership subscriptions. Members joining after 31st December will pay a reduced subscription.
Visitors are welcome for 2 free visits before becoming a full member. However, there will be a charge if these visits coincide with a meeting involving visiting speakers/judges.
Types of membership will be: –
Ordinary (Full) membership: Applicable to most adults over the age of 18.
Junior membership: A member who is over 14 and under 18 years old at the beginning of September is entitled to be a junior member at a concessionary rate. (Members & visitors under the age of 18 must be accompanied at all meetings and other events by a parent or guardian, or an adult who has the specific agreement of the parent/guardian, who will be responsible for their safety at all times).
Student membership: A member who is unwaged and who is enrolled on an academic or training course for a significant part of the time is entitled to be a student member at a concessionary rate.
Distant member: Photographers who don’t live close enough to attend meetings in Lancaster and those from abroad, can join the Society for a pro rata fee of the standard annual fee. “Distant” members are eligible to enter into competitions, as well as join in the Zoom meetings.
Life membership: Life membership is an honour bestowed on individual club members whose exceptional, loyal and outstanding service and contribution has provided a measurable benefit to the club over an extended period of time.
Management committee:
The membership of the Society will each year at the Annual General Meeting, elect a Management Committee who will be responsible for the running of the Society’s activities.
The Committee shall consist of 12 elected members who will be elected annually at the Annual General Meeting. Roles will be:
President: Vice President: Secretary: Treasurer: Programme sec: Competition sec (internal): Competition sec (external): Webmaster and Outreach Secretary, with 3 other members being elected to roles on the committee other than those listed above.
The Committee shall have the power to co-opt any Society member (additional to the statutory 12 members) for ad-hoc/specific Committee purposes, or to make up the full contingent of the committee should the membership of the committee fall below 12. Members, so co-opted, may serve on the Committee for as long as their services are required.
The Committee shall have the power to appoint a sub-committee for specific purposes at their discretion, who shall report to the Committee but have no executive powers.
The Secretary shall keep minutes of all meetings and conduct the necessary correspondence of the Society. All minutes should be kept for a minimum of 5 years.
A quorum for any committee meeting will consist of six of the appointed members.
The Committee shall meet at least once a quarter.
The President shall be empowered to take emergency action when necessary, but shall consult two other Committee members. Any action taken must be reported to the next meeting of the Committee.
Any member of the Committee may resign at any time by giving notice in writing to the Secretary, the resignation taking effect at the next committee meeting.
Meetings (General meetings, EGM’s and AGM’s):
For any official meeting of the Society to take place, a minimum number of members must be present.
A quorum at a General Meeting shall consist of 21 members or 50% of the paid-up members, whichever is the fewer.
The Annual General Meeting shall be held each year at the end of the season.
The Committee shall have the power to call an Extraordinary General Meeting at their discretion. They shall also call an Extraordinary General Meeting within 21 days of any written request by members for such a meeting, signed by no fewer than 5 members of the Society.
A minimum of 14 days clear notice of every General Meeting shall be given, specifying the place, the date and the time of such meeting and the general nature of the business to be discussed. The only items under discussion at such a meeting are those for which the meeting was called.
At any General Meeting, a resolution put to the membership shall be decided with a show of hands. The President will announce the result of the vote.
The President at any meeting, in the event of an equality of votes, shall have a casting vote in addition to his/her own vote.
Only fully paid-up members and life members are entitled to vote at any meeting.
Any member who is unable to attend a General Meeting may register a proxy vote on the business to be transacted at the meeting by obtaining a proxy voting form from the Secretary before the General Meeting. The President will cause such a vote to be recorded or counted as if that person were present.
Amendments, additions and/or deletions to club constitution:
Amendments, additions and deletions to the club constitution shall be approved by the members at the Annual General Meeting, or an Extraordinary General Meeting called in accordance with the rules above. No alteration shall be made to the constitution of the Society without the consent of the membership.
All proposals for amendments to the constitution, must be in writing, showing the name of the proposer and the seconder 14 clear days before the meeting specifically called for those amendments, or the AGM.
Such proposals will be submitted to the Secretary, recorded, posted on the website and brought to the attention of the membership at meetings, so that the members can digest and, if necessary, approach the proposer or seconder for clarification.
The proposal can then be put before the Annual General (or Extraordinary) Meeting for the purpose of discussion and approval, whereby a vote can be taken for the acceptance or rejection.
Finance:
The Treasurer shall keep accounts of monies received and expended by the Society, in respect of receipts, expenditure, assets, credits and liabilities for the Society.
The Society’s financial year shall be from 1st September to 31st August.
The accounts will be closed by the 30th November each year and audited by two members of the Society, or an accredited auditor.
The Treasurer shall present to the Annual General Meeting a set of audited accounts for the preceding year and their acceptance shall be put before the meeting. A set of interim accounts with best available projections to the current year end will also be presented at the same meeting.
The Treasurer shall open an account with a Bank or Building Society, and the said Bank or Building Society shall be empowered to honour cheques when drawn on behalf of the said Society, signed by two members of the panel of signatories.
Electronic means of payment are permissible. In addition to ensuring full compliance to the relevant procedures of the Society’s bankers, the Treasurer shall also obtain written (including text or email printed records) approval of such payments prior to making them from one of the co-signatories.
The panel of signatories shall consist of: –
The President, Treasurer and two other members.
Appropriate expenses incurred by members will be paid by the treasurer on receipt of a completed expense claim form. Claims should be supported by receipts of that expenditure. There will be a maximum expenditure, without prior approval of the Treasurer, of £10 for such expenses.
Expenses will normally be paid by means of an electronic transfer. Expenses claimed by non-members such as judges or lecturers may be paid without a written claim but will be recorded in the Society’s accounts.
Dissolution of the Society:
At a General Meeting a resolution for the dissolution of the Society, of which due notice was given, shall be passed by a majority of at least two thirds of the members present. The Committee shall then proceed to wind up the Society.
If upon winding-up there remains after the settlement of all debts and liabilities any cash or property, this shall be given to charity or other societies or organisations having objectives similar to the objectives of this Society. Members of the Committee at the time of dissolution shall decide how the distribution of assets is carried out.