Leyton Boundary Community Garden Constitution
Name
The name of the group shall be Leyton Boundary Community Garden
2. Aims
Leyton Boundary Community Garden aims to create and maintain a thriving community resource for the benefit and enjoyment of all.
It will:
Maintain, develop, and garden in the Leyton Play area growing spaces, and in the Leyton Boundary Garden.
Encourage participation by people of all ages and abilities in garden-related activities that are creative, sociable, educational, healthy and enjoyable.
Promote awareness of the benefits of gardening, growing food, nature conservation and related outdoor activities.
Encourage awareness and appreciation of sound environmental principles and practices such as recycling, nature conservation, organic cultivation, sustainable horticulture/permaculture and related subjects.
Offer opportunities for many forms of gardening and land-based activities for people of all abilities, including people with learning disabilities, people with mental ill-health, disadvantaged families and local school children.
3. Membership
Membership is open to anyone who lives in Leyton or the surrounding area and supports and participates in the activities of the Leyton Community Gardening Club. A list of members will be held by the secretary.
Ceasing to be a member
Members may resign at any time in writing to the secretary.
4. Equal Opportunities
Leyton Community Gardening Club will not discriminate on the grounds of gender, race, colour, ethnic or national origin, sexuality, disability, religious or political belief, marital status or age.
5. Officers and Committee
The business of the group will be carried out by a management committee. The Committee will meet as necessary and not less than once a year.The Committee will consist of all members of the group. 3 officers will also be elected annually at each AGM.
The officers’ roles are as follows:
Chair, who shall chair both general and committee meetings
Secretary, who shall be responsible for the taking of minutes and the distribution of all papers
Treasurer who shall be responsible for maintaining accounts
In the event of an officer standing down during the year a replacement will be elected by the next General Meeting of members.The Committee meetings will be open to any member of Leyton Community Gardening Club.
6. Meetings
6.1. Annual General Meetings
An Annual General Meeting (AGM) will be held within fifteen months of the previous AGM.
All members will be notified by email at least 3 weeks before the date of the meeting, giving the venue, date and time.
Nominations for the committee may be made to the Secretary before the meeting, or at the meeting.
The quorum for the AGM will be 10% of the membership or 10 members, whichever is the greater number.
6.2 Special General Meetings
The Secretary will call a Special General Meeting at the request of the majority of the committee or at least eight other members giving a written request to the Chair or Secretary stating the reason for their request.
The meeting will take place within twenty-one days of the request.
All members will be given two weeks' notice of such a meeting, giving the venue, date, time and agenda, and notice may be by telephone, email or post.
The quorum for the Special General Meeting will be 10% of the membership or 10 members, whichever is the greater number.
6.3 General Meetings
General Meetings are open to all members and will be held at least once every 3 months or more often if necessary.
All members will be given two weeks’ notice of such a meeting, giving the venue, date, time and agenda, and notice may be by telephone, email or post.
The quorum for a General Meeting shall be 10% of the membership or 5 members, whichever is the greater number.
6.4 Committee Meetings
Committee meetings may be called by the Chair or Secretary. Committee members must receive notice of meetings at least 7 days before the meeting.
The quorum for Committee meetings is three Committee members.
7. Rules of Procedure for meetings
All questions that arise at any meeting will be discussed openly and the meeting will seek to find general agreement that everyone present can agree to.
If a consensus cannot be reached a vote will be taken and a decision will be made by a simple majority of members present. If the number of votes cast on each side is equal, the chair of the meeting shall have an additional casting vote.
8. Finances
An account will be maintained on behalf of the Association at a bank agreed by the committee. Two cheque signatories will be nominated by the Committee (one to be the Treasurer). The signatories must not be related nor members of the same household.
All payments will be signed by two of the signatories.
For cheque payments, the signatories will sign the cheque.
For other payments (such as BACS payments, cash withdrawals, debit card payments or cash payments), a requisition note will be signed by two signatories, and held by the treasurer.
Records of income and expenditure will be maintained by the Treasurer and a financial statement given at each meeting.
All money raised by or on behalf of Leyton Community Gardening Club is only to be used to further the aims of the group, as specified in item 2 of this constitution.
9. Amendments to the Constitution
Amendments to the constitution may only be made at the Annual General Meeting or a Special General Meeting.
Any proposal to amend the constitution must be given to the Secretary in writing. The proposal must then be circulated with the notice of meeting.
Any proposal to amend the constitution will require a two-thirds majority of those present and entitled to vote.
10. Dissolution
If a meeting, by simple majority, decides that it is necessary to close down the group it may call a Special General Meeting to do so. The sole business of this meeting will be to dissolve the group.
If it is agreed to dissolve the group, all remaining money and other assets, once outstanding debts have been paid, will be donated to a local charitable organisation. The organisation will be agreed at the meeting which agrees the dissolution.
This constitution was agreed at the Inaugural General Meeting of the Leyton Community Gardening Club
Leyton Boundary Garden
Constitution: (last reviewed November 2024)