Tamworth Games Club

Constitution and Code of

Conduct

INDEX
1. Purpose of this document
2. Formation of the Club
3. Mandate and mission of the Club
4. Membership
5. Responsibility
6. Finances
7. Committee
8. Liaison Officers
9. General Meetings
10. Constitution
11. Dissolution
12. Code of Conduct

1. Purpose of this document

1.1 To define Tamworth Games Club (the Club) and set out its Constitution and Code of Conduct.

2. Formation of the Club

2.1 The Club has been in existence since 1998 and is located at Bolehall Manor Club, Amington
Road, Bolehall, Tamworth B77 3LH.

3. Mandate and mission of the Club

3.1 To provide the opportunity for members to participate in the hobby of collecting, painting and
gaming with tabletop miniatures as well as card, board and role playing games.

4. Membership
4.1 A record of attendance of members and visitors will be kept in a register book.
4.2 In this document the term 'members' and 'membership' refers to both non-voting and voting
member of the club as defined below:

4.3 Non-Voting Membership

4.3.1 Any person attending the club to play games automatically becomes a non-voting
member of the Club
4.3.2 Non-voting members have the same rights and responsibilities as voting members
 except the ability to vote
4.4. Voting membership
4.4.1 Voting members are those members that have visited the club twelve (see 4.2.2) times
in the 12 months previous to compiling the full membership list and are in 'good standing'
with the Club.
4.4.2 The number of visits will be pro rata'd if attendance information is missing or if Club
nights are cancelled.
4.4.3 Voting membership gives the right to vote in annual election of committee members
and other votes called for by the committee
4.4.4 A membership list will be compiled to use in the annual voting for Club committee
positions. This would normally take place just before the Annual General Meeting (AGM)
4.4.5 This membership list will be made public just before any voting takes place.
4.4.6 A membership list may be compiled on request at any time; by a successful committee
vote or by petition of at least 10 members

4.5. Members in Good Standing

4.5.1 A member shall be considered to be in 'good standing' if they have paid all dues associated
with attending the Club and have no sanctions against them (See 12. Code of Conduct)
4.6. Junior Membership
4.6.1 Junior Members must be between 12 and 18 years old.
4.6.2 Members under the age of 18 may be considered junior by a majority committee decision.
4.6.3 Junior members are required to be supervised by a parent/guardian.

5. Responsibility
5.1. Members are responsible for their own belongings, safety and behaviour, and are expected to
abide by the Code of Conduct (See 12. Code of Conduct)
5.2. The Club is in no way responsible for the actions of its members.

6. Finances
6.1. The assets of the Club (gaming equipment, cash in hand and cash at the bank) belong to
the members.
6.2. If the Club ever closes, the assets will be distributed to the voting members as evenly as
possible.
6.3. Raising money for expenses will be organised by the Treasurer amongst the members in a
voluntary, fair, and transparent manner.
6.4. Individuals and groups may raise money as they see fit to finance activities in which they are
involved or purchase equipment they will use. They are then at liberty, under no obligation, to
donate any equipment or funds to the Club as a whole.
6.5. Shared monies and properties will be used to benefit the Club as a whole. They may also be
spent on smaller activities or smaller groups, at the discretion of the committee, or if necessary as
decided at a General Meeting.
6.6. Membership of the Club is currently £2 per visit.
6.6.1 Concessions may be offered at the discretion of the Committee.
6.5.2 Raising or lowering the price of a visit requires a Committee vote. It is expected
but not required that this would be done after consultation with the membership.
6.7. Club funds will be administered through a bank or building society account which is
designed for this purpose.
6.8. There will be three signatories to the club bank account, one of whom will be the Club
Treasurer. Any two of the signatories must sign club cheques and make cash withdrawals.
6.9. The Treasurer will keep a record of transactions on club funds showing all credits, debits
and the current balance. The record will be available for inspection by any Club member.
6.10. A receipt will be obtained for all Club expenditure, checked by the Treasurer and
retained for audit purposes. If the Treasurer commits expenditures then the receipt will be
checked by a different signatory.
6.11. The Club year will run from January 1st to December 31st. At the end of the year, a
suitably qualified independent person will inspect the financial records if an audit has been
requested by a member.
6.12. Public liability insurance and rent will be the highest priority purchases for the Club.
Sufficient funds will be put aside for these as required.
7. Committee
7.1. The Committee will be made up of the following members: Club Chair, Treasurer, and any
additional non-role specific Committee members.
7.2. The Committee members must be voting members of the Club.
7.3. At the AGM, the attendant members will appoint a Club Chair and Treasurer. There will also be
open spaces for non-role specific Committee members. Nominations must be posted at least one
week before the AGM and individuals may be re-elected ad infinitum.
7.4. Committee members are treated equally as all Club members, aside from
having additional responsibilities.
7.5. The Committee as a whole has the following responsibilities:
7.5.1. Facilitate the smooth running of the Club.
7.5.2. Ensure the Club conforms to this document and all relevant statutes and laws.
7.5.3. That any equipment owned by the Club is maintained, increased or improved, as
required.
7.6. The committee members should ensure the following responsibilities are met, although they
may be delegated by them to other members at any time:

7.7.1. Leader:
7.7.1.1. That an AGM is called (annually)
7.7.1.2. That any Extraordinary General Meetings are called, as required
7.7.1.3. That the Club is adequately publicized
7.7.1.4. That all meetings of the Committee have an agenda, are well-organised and
correctly minuted
7.7.1.5. That any information is disseminated through the Club equally
7.7.1.6. That a membership list is compiled as required
7.7.1.7. That issues within the Club are addressed at a General Meeting
7.7.1.8. That any forum for internal communication is well-maintained
7.7.1.9. That any necessary communications with other individuals, groups or corporations
are well documented and produced in a timely fashion

7.7.3. Treasurer:
7.7.3.1. That all financial statues (See 6. Finances) are adhered to
7.7.3.2. That the Club conforms to all financial regulations applicable to it

7.7.4. Non role-specific Committee member

7.7.4.1. To support the Committee in it’s undertakings

7.8. Other than under 7.9.3 below, no member may hold more than one position on the committee
simultaneously.
7.8.1 This may be suspended if a committee member leaves and the post is required to
be filled urgently.
7.9. Should a committee member cease to be a voting member of the Club, they should
immediately take steps to rectify the situation.
7.9.1 If a committee member cannot remain as a voting member then they should step
down.
7.9.2 If a committee member has been a non-voting member for more than 4 weeks they
can be removed from office by a unanimous decision of the other committee members.
7.9.3 In the case above the Leader will take on the mantle of the departed post in the
interim whilst a new member is elected at the next EGM/AGM.

8. Liaison Officers
8.1. As well as the Committee, the Club will also have Liaison Officers for various groups such as
(but not limited to) the following:
8.1.1 Gender groups
8.1.2 LGBTQIA+ groups
9.1.3 Ethnic Minority groups
8.2. The role of a Liaison Officer, is to provide the Committee with a voice from the various groups,
so that the Committee can ensure that all voices are heard.
8.3. Liaison Officers can put themselves forward for the role and will be agreed upon by Committee
vote.
8.4. Any actions that violate the Code of Conduct (See 12. Code of Conduct) will result in the
Liaison Officer being removed from post.

9. General Meetings
9.1. A General Meeting is the forum for discussion and agreement on all relevant issues which affect
the running of the society, the status of the society and the statutes.
9.2. A General Meeting may be called at any time:
9.2.1. By the Leader and/or the committee.
9.2.2. On request of at least 50% of the voting members.
9.3. A General Meeting must be called:
9.3.1. If any of the committee wish to step down or have been removed from post.
9.3.2. If there are financial or constitutional issues which need to be discussed (other than
changing the weekly admission price).
9.3.3. At least once per year.
9.4. Organisation of a General Meeting:
9.4.1. A General Meeting is open to all members.
9.4.2. General Meetings should be held at the Club’s regular venue.
9.4.3. A General Meeting must be announced at least 10 days in advance.
9.4.4. Motions for the agenda can be submitted to the Committee at any time.
9.4.5. The date of a General Meeting should be chosen to accommodate the greatest
number of voting members.
9.4.6. A General Meeting is considered quorate if there are at least 6 voting members
present, or at least 10% of the voting membership (whichever is higher).
9.4.7. Any inquorate meeting should be re-arranged if possible, otherwise any decisions
may be taken at a minuted meeting of the committee.
9.4.8. The General Meeting should be chaired by the Leader, unless that would introduce an
unfair bias in the proceedings of the meeting, at which case it may be chaired by any
unbiased member of the Club.
9.5. Decisions and votes
9.5.1. Decisions and votes will be conducted in a fair manner agreed at each meeting, most
likely by a show of hands.
9.5.2. In order for an unbiased vote to occur, it may be necessary for some members to be
absent during votes as decided by the Leader.
9.6. Annual General Meeting
9.6.1. A General Meeting at which all committee members are elected should be held
annually.
9.6.2. This special meeting will be referred to as the Annual General Meeting (AGM).
9.6.3. A membership list should be compiled before each AGM to facilitate the election
for Committee Positions.
9.7. Elections for Committee positions
9.7.1. The election of a new committee will be announced a month before the AGM.
9.7.2. Any voting member of the club may stand for any committee position so long as
they are nominated by another voting club member.
9.7.3. A member may only nominate one other member for a committee position.
9.7.4. Committee elections are presided over by a volunteer Returning Officer who cannot
stand for any position in the committee.
9.7.5. The Returning Officer is provided with a list of all voting members, voting slips and a
ballot box. The Returning Officer shall record who has voted, but the voting slips will
remain anonymous.
9.7.6. The ballot slips will list all nominees for each position and an option to vote for
“None of the above”.
9.7.7. In the event that a majority votes for “none of the above” for any position, the
election for that position will be declared void and new candidates sought.
9.7.8. The results of the election will be declared at the AGM.

10. Constitution
10.1. Unless stated within the constitution, modifications to the constitution need to be proposed
and accepted at a General Meeting.
11. Dissolution
11.1. The Club will be disbanded and dissolved if the membership falls below six voting members
11.2 Upon dissolution all property of the club will be sold at an auction for club members only and
monies, when any debts are settled, distributed among charities that will be agreed upon at said
auction.

12. Code of Conduct

12.1. The aim of the code of conduct is to provide a framework for the club to maintain satisfactory
standards of conduct, to encourage improvement where necessary, and to offer a framework for
disciplinary action against members should that be necessary.
12.1.1 It is understood that not all situations can be covered specifically and that some
deviation from this code is allowed under exceptional circumstances
12.1.2 Where possible, a majority vote of the committee should be sought to deviate from
this code
12.2. It is expected that all members should at all times maintain responsible standards of conduct.
This should include operating within the framework of the club rules and regulations, taking
reasonable care of the health and safety of other members and third parties, complying with
reasonable instructions given by committee members and, if appropriate, venue staff and acting at
all times with respect for others, in good faith and in the best interests of the club
12.3 Misconduct
12.3.1 This is defined as actions that are outside those laid out in 12.2 and not
considered to be serious misconduct
12.3.2 Examples of misconduct might include minor breaches of club policies, refusal
to follow instructions and obscene language or other offensive behaviour.
12.3.3 Instances of misconduct should, if possible, be discussed by the committee and may
result in sanctions (See 12.5 Sanctions)
12.4 Serious Misconduct
12.4.1 This is defined as actions that are outside those laid out in 12.2 and not
considered to be misconduct
12.4.2 Examples of serious misconduct might include unlawful discrimination or
harassment, physical violence or bullying, bringing the club into disrepute, causing loss or
damage or injury through negligence, theft or fraud, serious breach of health and safety
rules and misuse of safety equipment, serious breach of confidence, serious breach of
these statutes, use of banned or illegal substances and unauthorised use or disclosure of
confidential information
12.4.3 Instances of serious misconduct should, if possible, be discussed by the committee
and may result in sanctions (See 12.5 Sanctions)
12.5 Sanctions
12.5.1 In cases of misconduct and serious misconduct, after discussion by the committee, it
may be necessary to sanction a member.
12.5.2 Members that have a sanction against them become non-voting members.
12.5.3 Sanctions can be removed by a majority decision of the committee. It is expected
that discussion on whether to remove a sanction should take place 1 full year from when
the sanction is applied.
12.5.4 Members receiving their third sanction may be expelled from the club (see 12.6
Expulsion from the Club)
12.5.5 If deemed appropriate by a committee member, members committing misconduct or
serious misconduct may be asked to leave a Club event. If possible, this decision should be
taken by all attending committee members.
12.5.6 In cases of serious misconduct, it may be deemed appropriate to expel a member
without prior sanction. This decision requires a majority of the committee to agree after a
committee discussion has taken place.
12.5.7 Once the decision to expel/sanction a member has taken place, that member has the
right to appeal. Appeals should be made in writing to the Leader and must occur within 21
days of the decision.
12.5.8 Appeals should be discussed at the earliest Committee meeting if possible
12.6 Expulsion from the club
12.6.1 Should a member be expelled from the Club they are no longer considered to be a
member. They cannot attend club events in any capacity.
 12.6.2 Decisions to re-admit an expelled member require a majority decision by the
Committee after discussion.
12.7 Complaint
12.7.1 All complaints should be submitted to a Committee member.
12.7.2 Complaints should be heard at the earliest committee meeting if possible.
12.7.3 The decision of the Committee in regard of complaints shall be found in the published
Committee minutes.
12.7.4 It may be deemed necessary to protect the identity of the complainer (or the
subject of the complaint) by withholding their name from the minutes. It can also be
deemed appropriate to discuss some complaints without minutes. In this last instance, the
complainer should be kept informed as to why this decision is taken and also the outcome
of the discussion.