Membership of The West Clare Walking Club shall be of Full Membership and shall include club appointed insurance. The club year shall be from 1st October through to 30th September

Children under the age of 18 may be admitted free of charge under the auspices of a “Family Membership”, where either or both of the parents are members, but will have no voting rights and shall not be eligible to hold office in The West Clare Walking Club. Names and Birth Certificates to be supplied for under 18s. Minimum age joining is 13 years by 1st October.

Membership of the Club shall only be open to individuals who recognise that walking activities can be dangerous and can cause personal injury

Club Members under the age of 18 years shall not be allowed to participate in club activities unless accompanied by either a parent or guardian, who shall also be a club member

Club Membership is not open to persons under 18 years of age on an individual basis

The leader reserves the right to refuse anyone to participate on any club walk

To promote walking To preserve unhindered access to mountains, wilderness areas, beaches, forests and other amenities To promote the preservation of the natural ecology of the mountains, forests, aquatic zones, flora and fauna

Every member of The West Clare Walking Club shall be bound to observe the rules and regulations of the Club currently in force

Anyone who is interested in the objects of the West Clare Walking Cub shall be eligible for membership (either individual or family)

Subscriptions shall be determined by the Committee from time to time

Subscriptions shall be payable annually in advance

All subscriptions become due when the AGM has been declared closed

The affairs of The West Clare Walking Club shall be managed by a Committee. The Committee may delegate any of it’s powers to sub-committees

To have one vote on each issue at all meetings of The West Clare Walking Club. This privilege will be confined to fully paid-up members only

To enjoy such other privileges as may, from time to time, be determined by majority vote at meetings of The West Clare Walking Club

The Committee of The West Clare Walking Club shall consist of: The Chairperson The Vice-Chairperson The Honorary Secretary and Assistant Honorary Secretary The Honorary Treasurer and Assistant Honorary Treasurer/Registrar PRO Members co-opted under rule 6.1

Nominees for the Committee shall be members of The West Clare Walking Club for not less than one full year

Five members of the Committee shall constitute a quorum Each Committee member present at the meeting shall be entitled to vote Decisions of the Committee shall be by simple majority of those present and voting

In the event of an equality of votes on any issue at a Committee Meeting, the presiding Chairman shall exercise a second or casting vote

The Committee shall conduct the affairs of The West Clare Walking Club and shall present a report to the Annual General Meeting

PRO to promote all club activities at every opportunity

Club meetings should be held on a quarterly basis

If a vacancy should occur on the Committee, from those referred to under Rule 5.1, the Committee shallhave the power to co-opt a member for the remainder of the year if a situation arises whereby an additional person is required on the Committee

The Chairperson, Vice-Chairperson, and members of the Committee shall be elected annually and shall hold a term of office until the next Annual General Meeting until their successors have been elected.

No person shall hold the office of Chairperson, Vice-Chairperson, Honorary Secretary, Assistanct Honorary Secretary, Honorary Treasurer, Assistant Honorary Treasurer/Registrar or PRO for more than three consecutive terms, unless there is no other nomination for the position

No person who is a member of the Committee may serve for more than three consecutive terms

Committee Meetings, of which there shall be a minimum of five during the year, shall be held at such times and places as arranged by the Committee

The business at the Committee Meetings shall be as set out in the Notice convening such

A member of the Committee absent from more than three consecutive Committee Meetings shall, unless excused by virtue of having tendered an apology, be deemed to have vacated office and the Committee shall have the power to fill the vacancy under Rule 6.1

The Committee shall have the power to appoint sub-committees to carry out any duties which, in the opinion of the Committee, could be best dealt with by a sub-committee (of which one Committee Member will form part of, preferably the Chairman)

Non-members of the Committee may be appointed to serve on sub-committees

Sub-committees shall have such power as is delegated to them by the Committee of The West Clare Walking Club

The Chairperson shall preside at all meetings of the Club In the absence of the Chairperson, the Vice-Chairperson shall undertake his/her duties

In the absence of the Chairperson and Vice-Chairperson, a Chairperson shall be nominated from the Committee members present at the meeting

The Chairperson shall formally address The West Clare Walking Club during his/her term of office

The Hon. Secretary shall, subject to the direction of the Committee, manage the general business of the Club

He/she shall have charge of all property of the West Clare Walking Club except the funds and other such property as from time to time may be given into charge of another Member or Members by the direction of the Committee

He/she shall be responsible for the proper recording and preservation of the decisions taken at all meetings of the Club and the Committee He/she shall issue all notices of meetings of The West Clare Walking Club and the Committee

The Hon. Treasurer shall have charge of the Club funds

He/she shall keep correct accounts and books showing the financial affairs, receipts and disbursements of The West Clare Walking Club

He/she shall present to the Committee regular financial statements and submit to the Annual General Meeting a Statement of Accounts as required by Rule 17.2

He/she shall keep, or arrange to have kept, an up-to-date register of all Members

The funds of The West Clare Walking Club shall be deposited in accounts in approved banks or other financial institutions All payments must have the sanction of the Committee

Cheques drawn on The West Clare Walking Club’s Bank Account shall be signed by the Hon.Treasurer and any one of the following: The Chairperson, the Hon. Secretary or the Hon. Assistant Treasurer

Upon retirement from any office or appointment, or on resignation from the club, the person concerned shall hand over to his/her successor, or to the Chairperson, all funds, books of accounts (Minutes of Meetings etc), or any other The West Clare Walking Club property in his/her possession or under his/her care

Election of Club Officers shall take place at the Annual General Meeting In the event of more than one candidate being nominated for any particular position, the vote shall be by Secret Ballot

The Annual General Meeting shall be held during the month of September each year at such time and placeto be appointed by the committee At such meeting a Statement of Accounts of The West Clare Walking Club shall be laid before the members, together with the report of the Committee for that year The Hon. Secretary shall send at least 21 days notice of an Annual General Meeting to each paid-up

All Motions and/or nominations for election of officers to be submitted to the Secretary or Chairperson seven working days prior to the Meeting

An attendance of fifteen percent (15%) of Then current paid-up Members shall constitute a quorum for the Annual General Meeting

All members present at the Annual General Meeting will be required to sign an attendance sheet

The Vice-Chairperson will preside over the election of the Chairperson at the AGM

The Chairperson, when elected, then presides over the remainder of the meeting.

Each paid-up member shall have one vote on any issue at any General Meeting

With the sole exception of changes to the Constitution, as noted under Rule 23.3, all issues shall be decided by a simple majority vote of paid-up members present and voting

In the event of an equality of votes on any question, other than an election, the presiding Chairperson shall exercise a second or casting vote

In an election of the offices of Chairperson, Vice-Chairperson, Hon. Secretary, Assistant Hon. Secretary, Hon. Treasurer, Assistant Hon. Treasurer or PRO, where more than one candidate is nominated, a Secret Ballot will be held and each voting member shall give one vote to one person for each office. The candidate receiving more votes than any other candidate for such an office shall be deemed elected Scrutineers will be appointed to count votes

No election candidate may be appointed as a scrutineer

The decision of the scrutineers on the validity of any voting shall be final In the event of a tie in an election, the scrutineers shall, in the presence of the Meeting, toss a coin to decide the result

The scrutineers shall count votes and report the result to the presiding Chairperson who shall announce the result to the meeting

The Committee shall have the power to make such Bye-Laws as it may consider necessary, provided that such Byelaws do not conflict with the Constitution or Rules of the Club

The Hon. Secretary shall maintain records of Bye-laws and notify Members of any changes to them

Bye-laws, until revoked, shall be binding on Members Bye-laws shall take immediate effect, but shall lapse unless formally approved by the Members at the next Annual General Meeting

The West Clare Walking Club shall sue and be sued in the name of the Hon. Secretary or of such other Officer as may be determined by the Committee

If the Committee considers that any member has been guilty of conduct injurious to the interests or good name of The West Clare Walking Club, it shall have the power, after due enquiry, to expel such a member

During the course of any enquiry held under Rule 22.1, the member in question shall have the opportunity of being heard

A person who has been expelled shall have the right to appeal to, and be heard at, the next Annual General Meeting of the Club which shall have the power to confirm the action of the Committee or restore the membership to such person

A person who has been expelled shall have no right to, or claim for, a refund of his/her subscription payment or any part thereof a vacancy occurring in any office, as the result of such an expulsion shall be filled by the Committee by the election of a person from amongst their members for that office. The resultant vacancy on the Committee shall then be filled by co-option under Rule 6.1

No alteration or amendment to the Constitution or Rules of The West Clare Walking Club shall be made unless proposed in writing by the Committee or at least thirty paid-up members

Every such proposed alteration or amendment shall be discussed and voted upon at an Extraordinary General Meeting held not more than eight weeks after the proposal thereof and with 21 days notice of meeting

No alteration or amendment to the Constitution or Rules shall be deemed to be carried unless supported by the votes of at least two-thirds of the paid-up Members present and voting at such an Extraordinary General Meeting

As we have members under the age of 18 years, we have adopted a Code of Ethics & Good Practice for children in sport. We have a 16-page children’s policy from MCI HYPERLINK "http://www.mountaineering.ie" www.mountaineering.ie which gives a good comprehensive look at issues around U18s in our club and a book on good practice for children in sport from the Irish Sports Council

We will be putting the child’s welfare, safety and enjoyment first We will be treating all young people with respect and dignity. We will be making walking as much fun as possible

All members and visitors under the age of 18 years must be accompanied by a parent/guardian on all walks and club trips They will be the parent’s/guardian’s full responsibility Parents or guardians must check that the walk is suitable as the leader or club will not be responsible

Please ensure the child has suitable walking gear and any other requirements he or she may need during the walk eg. Medication As members of our club enjoy taking photos, please inform the Chairperson if you would prefer your child not to be photographed