Constitution

Revised November 2023

1.         NAME

          The organisation shall be known as Molesey Amateur Regatta hereinafter referred to as ‘The Regatta.

The objectives of The Regatta are the holding of an (Open) Regatta, a Junior Regatta, a Masters Head of the River Race and a Junior Head of the River Race (“The Events”) on the Thames annually and supporting Molesey Boat Club (“MBC”) and the sport of rowing generally.

The Members of The Regatta shall be the Committee, as agreed at the Annual General Meeting, and the Vice Presidents.

3        AFFILIATION

The (Open) Regatta shall be affiliated to British Rowing (“BR”) as Molesey Amateur Regatta (“MAR”), and any other bodies as may be appropriate if races other than those governed by the BR are to be offered. The Junior Regatta shall be affiliated to BR as Molesey Junior Regatta (“MJR”), the Masters Head as Molesey Veteran Head (“MVH”) and the Junior Head as Molesey Junior Head (“MJH”). All racing shall be held under the Rules and Regulations of the relevant governing body. The BR RowSafe Code is hereby adopted.

4.       COMMITTEE

A. The Committee shall conduct the affairs of The Regatta as a whole and shall consist of a President, Secretary, Treasurer, Racing Secretary and Event Support Manager (who shall be known as the Officers), with up to 11 other general members of whom the current Captain of MBC shall be one ex officio.

          B. Vice-Presidents shall be entitled to attend Committee meetings, with the power of a vote.

          C. Officers and general members shall be appointed or re-appointed within one month of the AGM.

D. Safety. At the first meeting after the AGM the Committee shall appoint a Safety Adviser whose role it will be to ensure that all activities undertaken by the Regatta Committee comply with the guidance set out in the current edition of RowSafe and associated documents.

E. Race Committee. At the first meeting after the AGM the Committee shall appoint a Chairman of the MAR and MJR Race Committees, and a Chairman of the MVH and MJH Race Committees, who shall be responsible for the correct application of the BR Rules of Racing at the next holding of the events.

          Those appointed under D & E shall become Committee members ex officio; each will present reports to the Committee after the Events.

          F. The term of office of all Committee members shall be for one year; officers shall be eligible for re-appointment to the same post for a recommended maximum of 10 years, not counting service in a post before the 2013 AGM. However, if an officer is willing and able to continue, then this guideline need not be applied.

          G. A President of The Regatta, upon the end of his/her term, shall become a Vice-President and hold such post for life. 

H. No-one who is under the age of 16 years shall be eligible to serve on the

Committee.

I. A member shall be deemed to have resigned from the Committee if he/she has failed to attend 3 successive Committee meetings or to respond to communications from the Secretary for more than 3 months (notice of a meeting is deemed to be a communication from the Secretary).

J. An Assistant Secretary and/or an Assistant Treasurer may be appointed, and will become members of the Committee ex officio

K. An Assistant Racing Secretary and/or an Assistant Event Support Manager may be appointed, and may attend Committee meetings, but will not be members of the Committee ex officio.

5.       DUTIES OF COMMITTEE

          A. The Committee is responsible for the general conduct of The Regatta’s business and activities including the administration and management for the running of the Regattas proper.

          B. President: The President shall preside at all Committee meetings and shall be responsible for guiding the activities of The Regatta in accordance with its general policy as expressed by the majority of its members. The President shall ex officio be a member of any other committee of The Regatta.

          C. Secretary: The Secretary shall be responsible for the organisation of meetings of the Committee, the recording of minutes relating to such meetings and all correspondence relating to the general business of The Regatta. The Secretary shall in consultation arrange for the representation of The Regatta at BR regional level and at meetings of other organisations. The Secretary shall maintain and circulate regularly the registers of Committee Members and of those eligible to vote at General Meetings.

D. Treasurer: The Treasurer shall be responsible for the collection and disbursement of all monies belonging to The Regatta and will keep proper accounting records of all such transactions. He or she will present to the members at the AGM a balance sheet and income and expenditure account showing The Regatta’s financial position and the results of its transactions for the year. The transactions of the Regatta shall be conducted through a bank account; signing limits shall be determined by the Committee from time to time.

E. Racing Secretary: The Racing Secretary shall be responsible for the organisation of all aspects of the rowing activity at all Regattas and Heads held under the aegis of Molesey Amateur Regatta. This includes (but is not limited to) receipt of entries and entry fees, conduct of the draw, staffing of non-umpiring roles and the timely distribution of race results. 

F. Event Support Manager: The Event Support Manager shall be responsible for all non-rowing activity at all Regattas and Heads held under the aegis of Molesey Amateur Regatta. This includes (but is not limited to) arrangements for, security and supervision of the tented areas, staffing and catering.  

6.       COMMITTEE MEETINGS

          A. The Committee shall meet at regular intervals during the year, as required by the business to be transacted.

          B. Special meetings of the Committee shall be called by the Secretary on instructions from the President, or no fewer than three Committee members.

          C. A quorum shall consist of no fewer than half the members of the Committee, plus  one.

Failure of a committee meeting to achieve a quorum shall not cause its abandonment if there is purely administrative business to be transacted.

          D. In the case of casual vacancy among the Committee, the Committee shall be entitled to appoint another eligible person to act until the next AGM.

          E. The Committee shall have the power to appoint such sub-Committees as it thinks fit; each sub-Committee shall report to the full Committee and shall terminate at each AGM unless its continued existence is explicitly confirmed.

          F. The Committee shall have the power to appoint Organisers to be responsible for particular aspects of the Regattas or the Heads. Organisers may be invited to attend any meeting, and may express opinions, but have no vote.

7.       GENERAL MEETINGS

          A. An Annual General Meeting (AGM) shall be held in November of each year. It shall be the business of the AGM to consider the reports of the Secretary, Treasurer, Racing Secretary and Event Support Manager, and to arrange for the Officers and Committee for the following year. The President of The Regatta shall preside at the AGM and have a casting vote if required.

          There shall be laid before the meeting a statement of accounts made up to the 15th day of October of that year.

          B. Not less than 21 days clear notice shall be given, specifying to all members of The Regatta the time and business of the Annual General Meeting.

          C. At any Annual General Meeting, a resolution put to the vote of the Meeting shall be decided by a show of hands of those entitled to vote or a ballot at the President’s sole discretion.

          D. At all Annual General Meetings the President shall preside or, in his/her absence, an acting Chairman for the meeting will be elected by the members present.

          E. At the AGM not less than 50% of members entitled to vote + 1 shall constitute a quorum.

          F. Vice-Presidents: There shall be three classes of Vice-President.

          Class 1. Past Presidents of the Regatta appointed for life under 4 (G) above, automatically.

          Class 2. Persons who have rendered conspicuous service to MAR, who shall be appointed for life by resolution at any AGM.

         Class 3. The Committee may at any Committee Meeting consider a resolution to invite, on an ex officio basis, the Mayor of Elmbridge and the current MP for the Parliamentary constituency currently containing Molesey. Such individuals shall hold office until their representative role terminates. 

          G. Absence of Quorum: If after half an hour from the time appointed for the meeting a quorum is not present, the Meeting, if called at the request of the members, shall be dissolved.  In any other case, the Meeting shall be adjourned until a time and place to be fixed by the Committee.  If a quorum is not present within half an hour from the time appointed for an Adjourned Meeting, the members present shall be a quorum.

          H. Accidental Omission: Accidental Omission to give notice of a meeting to, or the non-receipt of notice of a meeting by, any member shall not invalidate the proceedings of a meeting.

8.       LIABILITY

          Financial or legal liability incurred in the rightful exercise of their office shall not be the personal liability of the Committee members but shall be the responsibility of the Committee as a whole.

9.       ALTERATION OF CONSTITUTION

          A. This constitution shall not be altered, amended or rescinded except at the Annual General Meeting of The Regatta.

          B. A resolution to give effect to a change must be passed by at least 75% of those present and entitled to vote at the AGM.

10.     EXAMINER

          Every Annual General Meeting shall appoint an Examiner who shall at the conclusion of the financial year examine the accounting records of The Regatta, and report to the members on the income and expenditure accounts and balance sheet that are presented to the next AGM.

11.     DISTRIBUTION OF SURPLUS

          In no circumstances can any surplus be distributed to Committee members, but any surplus earned shall be used in furthering the objectives of the Regatta.

12.       TERMINATION

          The Regatta shall not terminate except by a resolution of an Extraordinary General Meeting convened for the purpose and, in such an event, any surplus assets shall be placed under the joint control of the President, Committee Chairman and Treasurer of MBC to be passed on to a new Molesey Regatta if one is re-constituted within 5 years. The judgement of the MBC officers in respect of what constitutes a Molesey Regatta shall be final. If no such regatta is formed, the assets shall be handed over to a body or bodies with similar objectives agreed by the EGM which formally terminates the Regatta.

13.     POWER OF DECISION

          Any matter not provided for in this constitution, or any question over the interpretation of it shall be dealt with by the Committee whose decision shall be final.

14.     EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES POLICY      

          The Regatta will ensure that the talents and resources of all Committee members are utilised to the full and that no member receives less favourable treatment on the grounds of gender, disability, marital status, creed, social class, ethnicity, age or sexual orientation or is disadvantaged by conditions or requirements which cannot be shown to be relevant to performance.

15.     CHILD PROTECTION PROCEDURES

          The Regatta hereby adopts the policy and procedures relating to Child Protection as set out by BR. At least one Welfare Officer with the BR-required level of DBS clearance shall be appointed to be present during the events.

16      DONATIONS

The committee at each AGM will determine the amount available to be donated. Normally a target of 10% of this will go to a local cause, and the remaining amount to Molesey Boat Club. How this will be used will be agreed with Molesey Boat Club Committee, but in principle it must be tangible and advertised within the Club. The method of doing this is set out in a separate policy document (Appendix A), which was be approved at the 2023 AGM.

X

Signed as accurate

E M Bates

Hon. Secretary

Appendix A – MAR Office Holders

Appendix B – MAR DONATIONS TO MBC – SCHEME OF UNDERSTANDING

Appendices form part of the Constitution

APPENDIX AMAR office-holders as at 2nd November 2023____________________

[  ] = non-committee

POSTHolder/AppointeeVote at meetings ?
PresidentD M PorteusY
SecretaryE M BatesY
TreasurerR NesbittY
1  Assistant Secretary  #F J WoodY
   Assistant Treasurer   #Y
Racing SecretaryA P RuddleY
Event Support ManagerE M BatesY
[Examiner]R B DavisonN
2   Safety AdvisorP R J SinnottY
 3  Chairman of Race Committee – HeadsM StolleryY
4  Chairman of Race Committee – RegattasS LangslowY
5. Member – Captain, MBCOli KnightY
6. MemberAnne O’ConnorY
7. MemberStephen MatleyY
8. MemberBen PughY
9. Junior LiaisonLisa GlasspoolY
10. Member Y
11. Member Y
[Assistant Racing Secretary]  # N
[Assistant ESM]  # N
[Vice-Presidents]Frances Clark Dominic Raab M.P Mayor of ElmbridgeY Y Y

# = if appointed

General Meeting quorum =  to be calculated & inserted

Committee meeting quorum = to be calculated & inserted

EVENTRacing SecretaryEvent Support ManagerRace Committee Chair (Chief Umpire)
    
MAR & MJR JulyAndrew RuddleTed BatesS Langslow
    
MVH & MJH FebruaryAndrew RuddleTed BatesMark Stollery
MOLESEY AMATEUR REGATTA ORGANISATION
CommitteeVoting
Andrew Ruddle07946 528277RacingMalcolm Hutton07836 272722Course
Sarah Langslow07813 135404Chief Umpire – RegattasPat Sinnott07884 438656Safety
Anne O’Connor07960 848862RefreshmentsRob Nesbitt (Treasurer)07778 032875Treasurer
David Porteus (President)01590 623703ChairmanSteve Matley07973 727457Marshals
Lisa Glasspool07966 222256     Junior LiaisonTed Bates (Secretary)07951 638516Co-ordination
Captain, MBC SupportMark Stollery07931 726730Chief Umpire – Heads
Ben Pugh07729 249329MarshalsFe Wood (Asst. Secretary07850 270002Events/Welfare
   
  OrganisersNon-voting, opinions welcomed
Britt Bates07931 546184ShopsJohn Mattimore07976 932465Neighbourhood
Mike Watts07976 419252Timing & ResultsJacqui Papillon07790 754424Registration
Alison Frost07974 827791InformationJohn Sheldon01372 810088Signs
Peter Hartman07831 252238RaftsGraeme Thompson07973 177107Signs
Dick Kruger001 8023733737CommentatingHans Peter Ulrich07981 019138Without portfolio
Tim Hirst07805 028986IT Equipment   
Vice-Presidents
Lady Frances Clarke
Rt. Hon Dominic Raab MP
The Mayor of Elmbridge

APPENDIX B – MOLESEY AMATEUR REGATTA CONSTITUTION

MAR DONATIONS TO MBC – SCHEME OF UNDERSTANDING

As is well known, over the last 10 years or so the annual budgets for both Regatta and Club have grown very noticeably. MAR remains committed to making significant donations to MBC but wishes to ensure that what are now sizeable amounts – perhaps the net result of 2 years of organisational effort – are directed to where they will be most useful. At the same time, MAR is keen that its name be visibly associated with the asset and that MBC members are informed to ensure that its own occasional calls for time or assistance receive a sympathetic hearing from the MBC membership.

The following guidelines/requests are proposed.

Amount/ FrequencyMAR maintains a strategic reserve of its own, and a separate donation reserve. Except in exceptional circumstances, available funds in the donation reserve will only go to MBC projects, and with some 10% also going to a local charity. Explicitly, there is no commitment to annual donations.
TypeProposals are invited where the MAR name can be made visible – such as a small plate on a boat or included in the name (“Regatta Room”). This implies – usually – whole, tangible items such as a 1x or 2x racing boat, or pairs of sculling blades. 
ExclusionsAs MBC already has a substantial and ongoing maintenance programme, for fabric and equipment, donations will not be made towards general upkeep. 
ShapeSimilarly, MAR would prefer that a request be made in respect of an item which otherwise would not be affordable, or only after some months.  
RequestGiven the sizeable expense to be considered (see Introduction), MAR Committee wishes to give each proposal appropriate consideration. It is therefore requested that a written proposal be sent to the MAR President, Secretary and Treasurer no less than 4 weeks before funds might be required (note: a donation is not bound to be made and neither officer may make any such assurance). The Officers will then decide if an ad hoc meeting is called for, or some form of general communication will suffice.  A proposal will necessarily set out a reasonable amount of background (costings, justification).

x

Signed as correct

E M Bates

Hon. Secretary

x

Signed as correct

E M Bates

Hon. Secretary