West Wales Friends Of Palestine Constitution

1. Name

The association shall be called: “West Wales Friends of Palestine”.

2. Aims

2.1 To promote and foster friendship and understanding between the people of West Wales and Palestine.

2.2 To encourage visits by individuals and groups to and from the linked communities, including children and young people and the development of personal contacts and by doing so to broaden mutual understanding of the cultural, recreational, educational and commercial activities of the linked communities.

2.3 To organise fund raising activities to foster the aims of the West Wales Friends of Palestine.

2.4 To promote and encourage twinning projects between West Wales and Palestine.

2.5 To endeavour to ensure that at least one project goes ahead each year between the two communities.

3. Membership

3.1 Membership of West Wales Friends of Palestine shall be open to all persons or organisations interested in promoting the aims of the link between West Wales and Palestine. Members shall be referred to as supporters.

4. Managing Committee

4. 1 The affairs of West Wales Friends of Palestine shall be administered by a managing committee elected, from amongst the members of West Wales Friends of Palestine, at each Annual General Meeting. The Managing Committee will consist of a minimum of 6 and a maximum of 15

4. 2 Subject to the terms of this constitution the Managing Committee shall have full authority to take any action which they consider desirable to further the objectives of West Wales Friends of Palestine. The Managing Committee shall also have power to withdraw membership from any members of the association. Any proposal to withdraw membership shall be dealt with at a Special Meeting of the Committee called for that purpose and a Notice calling the meeting shall specify the name of the member concerned. That member shall have the right to be heard at the meeting and any motion to withdraw membership shall only be effective if there is a two-thirds majority of those present and voting at the meeting in favour of the motion.

4.3 Nominations for membership of the Managing Committee shall be made verbally or in writing at the Annual General Meeting. The nominee shall require to consent to the nomination verbally or in writing before election. In the event of there being no more nominations than there are vacancies all of the nominees shall be declared duly elected. In the event of there being more nominations than vacancies the members of the Committee shall be elected by a simple show of hands at the AGM.

4.4 Members of the Managing Committee shall take office at the end of the Annual General Meeting at which they are elected and shall hold office until the end of the Annual General Meeting next succeeding including any adjournment thereof. They shall be eligible for re-election.

4.5 The Managing Committee shall elect from its members a Chairperson, a Vice Chairperson, a Secretary, a Treasurer and such other office bearers as the Managing Committee may, in their discretion, consider necessary or desirable. Any two of these offices may, in the discretion of the Managing Committee, be combined. The Managing Committee shall be entitled to delegate to such office bearers such powers as they may deem appropriate. The Managing Committee shall have power to fill any casual vacancy in their number (up to the number approved at the preceding Annual General Meeting) and any member so appointed shall hold office until the end of the Annual General next succeeding including any adjournment thereof and shall be eligible for re-election.

4.6 The Managing Committee shall have power to appoint, from the membership of West Wales Friends of Palestine, such Sub-committees as they may from time to time decide and to determine the powers, composition and terms of reference of any such Sub-committee. Members of the Sub-committees shall hold office until the end of the next Annual General Meeting and they shall be eligible for re-election.

4.7 The Managing Committee shall also be entitled to co-opt to the membership of the Managing Committee or any Sub-committee such persons whether or not members of West Wales Friends of Palestine as they consider desirable but any person so co-opted shall not be entitled to a vote in the event of a division at any meeting of the Committee or Sub-committee.

4.8 The Quorum of the Managing Committee shall be 4 members and for meetings of any Sub-committee shall be three members.

5. Meetings

5.1 The Annual General Meeting of West Wales Friends of Palestine shall be held on a date agreed by the Management Committee and the Annual General Meeting should be held within one month of the agreed date. The Secretary shall, 21 days prior to such date or as soon as possible thereafter, issue to all members notice of such meeting specifying the date, time and place and the items of business to be placed before the meeting and invite members to submit other agenda items. At the Annual General Meeting the Managing Committee shall submit a report of the activities of the Association and the audited accounts for the preceding year

5.2 An Extraordinary General Meeting shall be called by the Secretary on the instruction of the Managing Committee or on a requisition to that effect signed by not fewer than nine members of West Wales Friends of Palestine and specifying the matter(s) to be considered at such a meeting. An Extraordinary General Meeting shall take place within 28 days of such an instruction being given or such requisition being made and shall be called on not less than 21 days notice in writing which notice shall specify the matters to be discussed at the Extraordinary General Meetings.

5.3 Meetings of the Managing Committee shall be held on such dates as may from time to time be approved by the Committee or by the Chairperson. The Secretary shall give all members of the Managing Committee not less than seven clear days notice in writing of the date, time and place of the meeting and of the items of business to be considered.

5.4 The Chair of West Wales Friends of Palestine will chair General Meetings and Managing Committee meetings, failing this, meetings will be chaired by the Vice Chair or by such other member of the Managing Committee as may be decided by the members present at the meeting.

5.5 In the first instance decisions must be arrived at by consensus, until such a time that the Chair decides to call for a vote. In the event of an equality of votes the Chairperson of the meeting shall have a casting vote as well as a deliberative vote.

5.6 The Secretary shall ensure that minutes are kept of all the General Meetings and Committee and Sub-committee meetings of West Wales Friends of Palestine.

6. Finance

6.1 All monies received on behalf of West Wales of Palestine shall be kept in safe custody by the Treasurer and all cheques drawn on West Wales Friends of Palestine’s account shall be signed by any two of the Chairperson, Vice Chairperson, Treasurer or Secretary.

6.2 The financial year of West Wales Friends of Palestine shall be from 1^st April to 31^st March or such other date as set by the Managing Committee.

6.3 The Treasurer shall keep proper financial accounts of the finances of the association and shall at the Annual General Meeting submit audited accounts for the financial year.

6.4 An Auditor shall be appointed each year at the Annual General Meeting.

6.5 The Treasurer shall open such account or accounts with a bank or banks approved by the Managing Committee as the Committee may consider necessary or desirable.

6.6 Surplus funds from time to time may be invested by the Managing Committee at their discretion in accordance with the aims of West Wales Friends of Palestine.

6.7 The Managing Committee shall have no power to borrow money or to incur a bank overdraft without the authority of the Association in General Meeting.

7. Voting

7.1 Only members present at the meeting shall be entitled to vote.

7.2 Each individual member shall be entitled to one vote and each family or group member shall be entitled to two votes provided that two members of such family or organisation are present at the meeting.

8. Amendment of the Constitution

A General Meeting of West Wales Friends of Palestine shall have power to amend this Constitution provided that the nature of the amendment is specified in a notice to all members setting out the date, time and place of the meeting, and issued not less than 21 days prior to such date, that the amendment is approved by a majority of not less than two thirds of the votes recorded by members present at the meeting.

9. Dissolution of the Constitution

9.1 A proposal to dissolve West Wales Friends of Palestine can only be passed at an AGM or EGM through a majority vote of the membership present.

9.2 If the motion to dissolve West Wales Friends of Palestine is successful the whole funds and assets of West Wales Friends of Palestine, after settlement of outstanding obligations, shall be disposed of by the Managing Committee in the spirit of this Constitution to a cause that is similar to that of West Wales Friends of Palestine.