| STRIKING COMPETITION RULES | STANDING ORDERS | |
| 1. | The ASSOCIATION shall be called 'THE ESSEX ASSOCIATION OF CHANGE RINGERS'. | |
| 2. | The OBJECTS of the Association shall be: | |
| (i) To further the work of the Church by the ringing of bells and to promote all aspects of the same. | ||
| (ii) To provide financial assistance to Churches within the Boundaries of the Association for the purpose of maintaining and improving their bell installations. | ||
| 3. | (i) THE ASSOCIATION shall be affiliated to the CENTRAL COUNCIL OF CHURCH BELL RINGERS and loyally abide by the rules and decisions thereof. | |
| (ii) THE ASSOCIATION shall be registered with the CHARITY COMMISSIONERS FOR ENGLAND WALES (registration number 292250). | ||
| 4. | THE BOUNDARIES of the Association shall be those defining the geographical County of Essex prior to 1st April 1965 and shall include towers in adjacent counties which are by tradition affiliated to the Association. | |
| 5. | THE PRESIDENT shall be the Lord Bishop of Chelmsford. The Vice-Presidents shall be the Dean of Chelmsford Cathedral, the Area Bishops, Honorary Assistant Bishops and the Archdeacons of the Diocese. | |
| 6. | MEMBERSHIP shall be open to any person interested in bells and bellringing. Members shall include the following: | |
| (i) RINGING MEMBERS subscribing not less than the agreed annual or life subscription and able to ring changes to a standard suitable for Sunday Service ringing on tower bells or to ring handbells. Changes shall be deemed to include method ringing, call changes and tenor cover on tower bells. Handbell ringers shall be capable of ringing methods on two bells retained in hand. (Members aged 65 or over on 5 May 2008 and elected prior to that date shall be free from subscription. Members aged under 18 years on 1st January shall be entitled to a 50% reduction in their subscriptions). | ||
| (ii) LIFE VICE-PRESIDENTS and LIFE MEMBERS, who may be elected at an Annual General Meeting on recommendation of the Executive Committee and become free from further subscriptions. | ||
| (iii) NON-RESIDENT MEMBERS subscribing not less than the agreed fee on entry; Ringing Members for five consecutive years, on moving from within the boundaries of the Association shall qualify as Non-Resident Members without election on payment of current subscriptions; Non-Resident Members on moving to within the boundaries of the Association shall qualify as members without election, on payment of current subscriptions. | ||
| (iv) FRIENDS OF THE ASSOCIATION subscribing not less than the agreed annual or life subscription. | ||
| Members in categories 6(i) and 6(ii) only shall be entitled to vote at any meeting. | ||
| Subscriptions shall be due on entry and subsequent annual subscriptions on 1st January. Those members whose annual subscriptions become more than one year in arrears shall be deemed to have withdrawn from the Association. | ||
| 7. | (i) ELECTION OF MEMBERS (except Life Vice-Presidents and Life Members) may take place at any business meeting. Prospective members may be elected by a majority vote of members present. Ringing members and Non-Resident Members may be elected prior to a peal attempt by two resident members of the Association and ratified at the next business meeting, the proposers being responsible for subscriptions. | |
| (ii) ELECTION OF LIFE VICE-PRESIDENTS shall be by overall majority of members present at an Annual General Meeting. Nominations shall be forwarded by the Executive Committee only if not less than four-fifths of the committee members present vote in favour. Any member may put forward to their district officers a name for discussion at an Executive Committee meeting. | ||
| (iii) ALL NOMINATIONS FOR LIFE MEMBERS, together with the names of proposer and seconder shall be submitted to the Association General Secretary in writing including details of Association activities by 1st December and all nominations shall be circulated to all District Secretaries by 14th December. | ||
| 8. | THE ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING shall normally be held in Chelmsford on the May Day Bank Holiday and arrangements made for a special service. Notice giving full details of the Agenda and other arrangements shall be delivered to Tower Secretaries not later than 14 days prior to the Meeting; 50 members shall form a quorum. The following business shall be transacted: confirmation of Minutes of the last Annual General Meeting; adoption of report and accounts; alterations of and additions to rules; matters recommended by the Executive Committee; election of Honorary Officers whose nominations shall have been sent to the General Secretary before February 1st, viz: Master, General Secretary, Treasurer, three Property Trustees and Central Council representatives as defined by the Council's rules; election of two Independent Examiners; election of Life Vice-Presidents and Life Members. All Honorary Officers shall be at least 18 years of age. Notices of motion sponsored by at least two members must have been received by the General Secretary before February 1st. The closing date for nominations and notices of motion shall be published in The Ringing World in December of each year. | |
| 9. | There shall be SIX DISTRICTS of the Association, viz: Northern, North-Eastern, North-Western, Southern, South-Eastern and South-Western, each holding at least three meetings yearly. The first of the three shall be the Annual District Meeting at which shall be elected four Honorary Officers. The shall be District Master, Deputy District Master, and either a) District Secretary and District Treasurer (two persons) or b) District Secretary and Treasurer (one person) and one representative to serve on the Executive Committee. All District Officers shall be at least 18 years of age. The General Secretary shall be notified, in writing, of these appointments immediately. | |
| 10. | AN EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE shall manage the affairs of the Association and shall comprise the Life Vice-Presidents, the conveners of the Sub-Committees, officers appointed by the Executive Committee and those Honorary Officers elected under Rules 8 and 9 with the exception of the Independent Examiners, Auditors and Life Members; twenty members shall form a quorum. The Executive Committee shall determine subscriptions and have full powers on matters not provided for in these rules. All decisions of the Executive Committee shall be carried only by overall majority of members present, except as provided for in Rule 7(ii). It may appoint a Peals Secretary, an Honorary Technical Adviser and any other officers as it may decide and may also appoint Sub-Committees as required. All such appointments shall be confirmed annually and reported to the Annual General Meeting. All acts and proceedings of any Sub-Committee shall be fully reported to the Executive Committee as soon as possible. The Executive Committee shall have the power to co-opt such persons as it considers necessary to assist in its deliberations. The number of co-opted persons at any one Executive Committee meeting shall not exceed three. All members of the Executive Committee shall be at least 18 years of age and shall not be persons disqualified under the Charities Act 1992. No aspect of control of the Association may be delegated to any person or persons not duly elected or appointed as members of the Executive Committee. | |
| (i) The Executive Committee shall meet on at least two occasions during the year to discuss matters concerning the Association: not later than the last day of February to prepare the Agenda and other arrangements for the Annual General Meeting and not later than the last day of October to review the Association's financial affairs to date and for the coming year, and also to consider whether the accounts for the current year are likely to be required by law to be audited and if necessary to appoint Auditors in place of the elected Independent Examiners if they are not qualified for such appointment. Should no Auditors be appointed and subsequently it is found necessary so to do then the Auditors shall be appointed by the Property Trustees. | ||
| (ii) The Executive Committee and its Sub-Committees shall have the power to raise funds by any lawful means other than permanent trading. | ||
| (iii) The Executive Committee shall have the power, after considering a written application , to approve financial assistance for maintenance and improvement of a bell installation, which shall be deemed to include the following: | ||
| a) | Taking out an existing ring of bells, supplying and installing a new frame and fittings, recasting bells and erecting the same. | |
| b) | Taking out, overhauling and reclappering existing bells, supplying and installing a new frame and fittings, recasting or overhauling and re-erecting. | |
| c) | Taking out existing bells, overhauling existing frame and fittings, recasting or overhauling and reclappering same and re-erecting. | |
| d) | Augmentation and bringing existing bells, frames and fittings into an adequate state of repair. | |
| e) | All other major repairs to bells, frames, fittings and towers. | |
| f) | The provision of bells, frames and fittings and erection of same in Churches which previously had none. | |
| g) | The acquisition of bells for subsequent redeployment and recasting. | |
| h) | All other lawful things which shall further the above objects. | |
| 11. | The MASTER shall be responsible for the conduct of the Affairs of the Association, and the DISTRICT MASTERS for that of their districts. | |
| The GENERAL SECRETARY shall record the Minutes of General and Executive Committee meetings and carry out the decisions thereof. | ||
| The TREASURER shall give and receive vouchers for monies passed, maintain a Membership Roll, keep proper books of account, prepare a balance sheet as at 31st December each year and an income and expenditure account for that year or other such financial statement as prescribed by law, all of which shall be examined by the two Independent Examiners or professionally audited if required. The income and expenditure account and the balance sheet shall be presented to the members at the next Annual General Meeting. | ||
| The Master, General Secretary and Treasurer shall be Ex-Officio Property Trustees of the Association. All members of the Executive Committee are in law charity trustees jointly responsible for running the Association strictly in accordance with these rules. | ||
| The PROPERTY TRUSTEES shall be responsible for the safe custody of monies on deposit, books and records and other property of the Association and shall maintain an accurate list of the property of the Association. | ||
| Bank accounts as may be required shall be opened in the name of the Association; any two of the six nominated Property Trustees shall have the power to sign cheques. Any outstanding monies in the hands of the Executive Committee and not required immediately shall be invested in any lawful manner. | ||
| The DISTRICT SECRETARIES shall arrange District Meetings and carry out decisions thereof, record the Minutes and the DISTRICT TREASURERS shall collect subscriptions, maintain a District Membership Roll and make payments within their Districts, give and receive vouchers for monies passed and hand to the Treasurer sums which are due, rendering accounts to the Treasurer not later than the first Saturday in January. | ||
| 12. | THE EXPENSES paid by the Treasurer from the Association Funds may be: those of the Annual General Meeting; cost of printing, distribution and binding the Annual Reports; travelling and other expenses of Officers; postage, stationery and sundry expenditure including Audit fees approved by the Executive Committee; Central Council affiliation fees, and, if authorised by the Executive Committee, reasonable expenses of Representatives attending the Council; instructors' expenses as certified by District Officers; other expenditure determined by the Executive Committee year by year. | |
| 13. | In the event of the dissolution of the Association the assets shall be distributed for the purpose of bell maintenance and restoration equally among those Churches which at the time of the dissolution were in union with the Association, or distributed among such other charitable organisations having similar objects in connection with bell maintenance and restoration as the Association may with the approval of the Charity Commissioners for England and Wales determine. | |
| 14. | An ANNUAL REPORT for the year ended 31st December shall be printed and shall contain: Office for Belfry use, a list of Officers and conveners of Sub-Committees; Officers' reports for the year's work including Statement of Accounts signed by the Treasurer and the Independent Examiners/Auditors; a classified list of members, excluding those in Rule 6(iii) elected prior to the current year; peals and quarter peals rung and other matters determined by the Executive Committee. The Annual Report shall be written so as to provide the information required by law. The Rules, list of Association property as certified by the Property Trustees, Standing Orders and Striking Competition Rules shall each be printed in the Annual report at least every five years. The reports shall be bound at least every five years to form a permanent record of affairs. | |
| 15. | PEALS RUNG by members which conform to the current regulations of the Central Council may be credited to the Association. Details of such peals shall be forward by the Conductor together with the peal booking fee charged at the time to the Peals Secretary within 14 days. | |
| 16. | STANDING ORDERS with or without modifications may be formally adopted by meetings before the commencement of business. In the event of urgency the Chairman may accept a motion for the suspension of Standing Orders. A member proposing this motion must clearly state the urgency and the Standing Order numbers involved. The length of time of any suspension shall be subject to the discretion of the meeting. | |
| 17. | EXTRAORDINARY GENERAL MEETINGS may be called by the General Secretary, either by request of the Executive Committee or by written request signed by no fewer than 50 members. Fourteen days notice of any such meeting shall be sent to Secretaries of all towers stating the purpose for which it is called. No other business shall be transacted thereat. | |
| 18. | No alteration, addition or deletion of these rules shall be made so as to cause the Association at any time to cease to be a Charity in Law. No alternation, addition or deletion of these rules shall be made except at the Annual General Meeting or at an Extraordinary General Meeting specially called for the purpose. Notice of any proposed alteration, addition or deletion of these rules shall be given to the General Secretary at least once calendar month prior to the date of an Extraordinary General Meeting or as Rule 8 for the Annual General Meeting. | |
| These rules were redrafted in 1985 to allow registration of the Association as a Charity, and subsequently amended in 1986, 1987, 1988, 1990, 1993, 1994, 1996, 2002, 2003 and 2008. | ||
| The rules are presented here as printed in the 2008 Annual Report. E&OE. | ||
