1. Name of the Society
The name of the Society shall be The Two Millimetre Scale Association, alternatively phrased "The 2mm Scale Association", hereinafter referred to as "the Association".
2. Objectives
a. The Association's purpose is the promotion, encouragement, and support of railway modelling in the scale of 2mm/foot including the provision of goods and services and the arranging of meetings, public exhibitions, and other events.
3. Management
a. The Management Committee of the Association, hereinafter referred to as "the Committee", shall be the Chairman, Secretary, Treasurer and seven other members.
b. Election of each Committee Member shall be by proposal and seconding by other members at a General Meeting. If there is more than one candidate for a position it shall be filled by the candidate gaining a simple majority in a vote cast by members at that meeting.
c. At the first meeting of the Committee after their election, the Committee shall elect one of their number as Vice Chairman.
d. All Committee Members shall retire at each Annual General Meeting. The Chairman of the Association shall be eligible for re-election subject to a limit of three consecutive terms in the office of Chairman. All other members of the Committee shall be eligible for re-election. The retiring Committee members shall remain in office until their replacements are elected.
e. The Committee may co-opt a member, as a Committee Member, only to fill vacancies in the Committee.
f. At Committee Meetings six shall form a quorum and no business shall be conducted unless a quorum be present.
g. The Committee may appoint members to other offices or sub-committees, as and when the occasion arises, in order to assist the work of the Association but these members shall not become members of the Committee by virtue of such appointment.
h. The Committee shall be responsible for giving effect to the objects of the Association. It may delegate particular functions to one or more members of the Committee.
i. The Committee shall use its best endeavours to ensure that the activities of the Association are publicised to members of the Association, provided that this shall not require the disclosure of information of a confidential nature.
j. If, for whatever reason, the Committee is unable to fulfil its function, the Committee shall call a General Meeting of the membership, to be held as soon as practicable, with the express intention of electing a new Committee.
4. Finance
a. The annual subscription shall be at a rate fixed by the Committee. The annual subscription shall be the lowest rate commensurate with paying the Association's costs taking one year with another.
b. No financial commitment shall be entered into in the name of or on behalf of the Association save by the Committee or with its prior approval. No members shall, save in accordance with the rules, represent themselves as authorised by the Association or the Committee to incur any liability on their behalf.
c. The Committee shall ensure that proper accounts of all monies received and expended by the Association are kept and that a proper and complete financial statement duly audited by a member of the Association (who shall not be a member of the Committee) shall be circulated to all members at least one calendar month prior to the Annual General Meeting.
d. The Committee may make standing orders, which shall regulate the financial business of the Association. Any such standing order shall be published in writing and be available for inspection by all members.
e. The Association's financial year shall be from 1st April to 31st March.
f. In the event of a decision to disband the Association, the Committee shall appoint a Receiver who shall realise the assets of the Association, pay any proven debts of the Association, and distribute equitably any remaining balance amongst those fully paid up members at the time of the appointment of the Receiver.
5. Membership
a. Any person wishing to become a member of the Association shall complete the appropriate application form and pay an annual subscription in advance.
b. The Committee reserves the right to reject any application for membership without assigning any reason for so doing.
c. Any member may attend any event or meeting of the Association, subject to payment of any charge which may be necessary to defray the expenses of holding the event or meeting.
d. Any member shall be entitled to purchase any publication or product of the Association, subject to availability.
e. The annual subscription entitles the member to receive one copy of each issue of The 2mm Magazine for the financial year.
f. The Committee may exempt a member from payments to the Association.
g. Every member when accepted shall receive a copy of these rules and shall be bound by them.
h. Any permanent change of any correspondence address shall be notified to the Association immediately.
i. The Committee may expel any member for misconduct or breach of these rules.
6. Meetings
a. The Annual General Meeting of the Association shall be held in September or October following the end of the financial year.
b. The Secretary shall convene an Extraordinary General Meeting to be held within two calendar months of receiving a requisition for such a meeting. The requisition must be in writing from twenty or more members and must be supported by a written statement expressing the reason for calling for the meeting.
c. Notice of any General Meeting and the agenda for any such meeting shall be sent to all members not less than one calendar month before the meeting.
d. The quorum for any General Meeting of the Association shall consist of 25 members or 25% of the membership (whichever is the less) and no business may be conducted unless a quorum be present.
7. Minutes
a. Minutes shall be kept in which shall be recorded the proceedings of the Committee and the General Meetings of the Association. Any member shall be entitled to a copy of any minutes, subject to meeting the costs of supplying them.
8. Alteration to Rules
a. No Rule of the Association shall be altered or rescinded except by a simple majority of votes cast in a ballot as described below.
b. Any proposed alteration to the Rules of the Association shall:
i. be submitted to the Secretary in writing
ii. be supported in writing by at least seven current members of the Association.
c. Upon receipt of such a proposal the Committee shall circulate it, along
with the details of the proposal, in writing, for consideration by the membership.
After a further period of two calendar months the Committee shall conduct,
in writing, a ballot of the membership.
d. Members may return the ballot, at their own expense, by post or suitable electronic method. Incomplete or spoiled ballots or ballots received after the stated deadline will be null and void. Communication other than by the issued ballot will not be admissible.
e. Following the deadline, the votes shall be counted by members nominated by the Committee and the result advised in writing to the membership. The revised rules, if any, shall be publicised.
9. Notices and formats of meetings
a. Any notice or document or other communication given or sent in writing under these rules may be sent by post or suitable electronic means, or any combination thereof.
b. Any meeting held under these rules may be held in person or by suitable electronic means, or any combination thereof.
10. Interpretation
a. In these rules references to the singular include the plural and vice versa.
b. These rules and activities of the Association are governed by English
law and subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of England and
Wales.