Local Voluntary Support Group Constitution

Coeliac UK (‘the Charity’)

Registered charity number: 1048167

Introduction

Coeliac UK Local Voluntary Support Groups are an important part of the Charity’s work, sharing the aim of improving the lives of those with coeliac disease and dermatitis herpetiformis (DH). The Constitution describes the role of the Local Voluntary Support Groups in order to ensure all parts of the Charity, including the Local Voluntary Support Groups, are working well together to meet its charitable aims and strategic objectives.

Coeliac UK is a registered charity and a company limited by guarantee. It is therefore subject to many legal requirements including the Companies Act 2006 and Charities Act 1993 as amended by the Charities Act 2006. The Charity’s memorandum and articles are its governing documents and are available on the Charity’s website (

The Local Voluntary Support Groups form part of the main charity and are not separate legal bodies. This means that the Board of Governors of the Charity is ultimately responsible for all the actions of the Local Voluntary Support Groups and the funds they raise and manage. Therefore, all Local Voluntary Support Groups are bound by decisions of the Board of Governors. Only the Board of Governors may alter this Constitution, which, except in special circumstances, they will do only after consultation with Local Voluntary Support Groups.

The Charity produces a Volunteers’ Handbook (‘the Handbook’) which is kept up to date by the Charity. This Handbook is a useful reference as it sets out the Charity’s policies on issues such as data protection and fundraising. The guidance in the Handbook must be followed if it is specified to do so in this Constitution otherwise it is good practice to follow the guidance in the Handbook.

Only Local Voluntary Support Groups which have signed this Constitution will be able to enjoy the benefits and support from the Charity which are set out in clause 13 of this Constitution.

This document must be filled in by the Group Organiser and signed by all members of the Group’s Committee. Please return a signed copy to Coeliac UK Volunteer Team, 3rd Floor, Apollo Centre, Desborough Road, High Wycombe, Bucks HP11 2QW

Name

The name of the Local Voluntary Support Group is The ………………………………. (insert Group name – ie location) Coeliac UK Local Voluntary Support Group (‘the Group’)

Administration

This Constitution replaces all earlier versions of the Constitution and the Group must be administered and managed in accordance with this Constitution. The Group is part of Coeliac UK (‘the Charity’) and is not a separate legal entity.

Objectives and aims
The charitable aims of the Charity are set out in clause 3 of its Memorandum and Articles. This mission of the Charity are to see:

A world full of choice for those with coeliac disease and DH.
Eventually a world free of coeliac disease and DH.

The Charity’s strategic objectives on how we will reach these aims are by:

providing independent and expert information and support
campaigning for better access to diagnosis and care, and better access to safe food in and out of the home and
researching the nature of the disease and potential cures.
The Group’s role is:

To offer support and assist those actively seeking medical diagnosis or have been medically diagnosed with coeliac disease and DH, including their families or carers, regardless of ability, age, culture, race, religion or social status by running a Local Volunteer Support Group for those people living in

………………………………………………………….. (insert area)

To further the aims and strategic objectives of the Charity in the Group’s area in particular by:

Contacting those newly diagnosed with coeliac disease within one month of receiving their details from the Charity’s High Wycombe office;

being self-funding
acting as the Charity’s representative in the area
holding meetings in accordance with the provisions of this Constitution
maintaining a committee in accordance with the provisions of this Constitution
providing active Members with 3 newsletters a year
keeping the Charity’s High Wycombe office informed of activities and accounts
arrange for the Group’s section on the Charity’s website to be kept up to date with forthcoming activities, including meetings and events. (This can be done either within the Groups or with help from the High Wycombe office).

Powers

The Group has the following powers which must only be exercised to promote the Charity’s aims and strategic objectives and the exercise of the powers is subject to the overall supervision of the Charity:

To hire venues, equipment and guest speakers.
To raise money to pay for the Group’s activities and the Group must:

not engage in taxable trading
comply with all legal requirements and codes of practice applicable to the chosen method of raising funds
refer to the Handbook and comply with the Charity’s policies about the use of the Charity’s registered number and logo
not to raise funds for any special purpose without the consent of the Charity.

To make such payments as may be necessary for the Group’s activities.
To hold a list of Group Members. This list must be kept secure and must be held in accordance with the Charity’s data protection policy as set out in the Handbook.
To invite non members to join and participate in Group meetings.
To do anything else within the law which promotes, or helps to promote, the aims and strategic objectives of the Charity.

Membership of the Group
Membership of the Group is open to the following people:

Current Full Members of the Charity (individual, household or concessionary). These Members have full voting rights within the Group.
Professional Members of the Charity – that is those from the healthcare professions who have submitted a valid healthcare professional application to the Charity. These Members do not have voting rights.
Subscribers to the Charity – that is those who are not medically diagnosed with coeliac disease and/or DH but who have submitted a valid subscriber application to the Charity. These Members do not have voting rights.
Supporters of the Charity – people who have not joined the Charity as Full Members, Professional Members or Subscribers but the Group wishes to include in activities. This may include relatives, spouses or friends of those with coeliac disease and/or DH. These Members do not have voting rights.
If there is a good reason, the Committee may refuse to accept a person as a Group member. However, that person has the right to appeal to the Chief Executive of Coeliac UK who shall make the final decision on their membership to the Group.

Committee

Each Group must have a Committee made up from the Group’s Members (‘the Committee’). The Committee is responsible for communicating and coordinating Group activities and news. Members of the Committees are not charity trustees.

The Committee must consist of at least three elected officers (a Group Organiser, a Secretary and a Treasurer) (together ‘the Officers’). A maximum of three Members of the Group may also be co-opted by the Committee. (There is no maximum limit to the number of Members on a Committee but the Charity recommends between 6 – 12 Members to ensure a balance between sharing the workload and keeping the Committee to a manageable size).
The Committee Members and the Officers must be elected at the Group’s Annual General Meeting (AGM) by the Full Members. They are elected on a 12-month basis. At the end of 12 months they must retire from their post but may be re-elected at the AGM.
At each of the Group’s AGM, the Full Members of the Group can decide whether Professional Members, Subscriber Members and Supporters of the Charity can be Committee Members and, as a Committee Member, vote at the Group’s AGM and at Special General Meetings.
Coopted Members of the Committee may join at any time on the invitation of the Committee but must retire, or put themselves forward for election, at the next AGM of the Group.
The Committee must meet and discuss Group activities at least twice a year and is responsible for ensuring that the Group complies with its objectives and aims and is properly managed in accordance with the Constitution.
In the event of the death or resignation of an elected Member of the Committee, the vacancy may be filled until the next AGM by a Member of the Group appointed by the Committee.
In the event of a tie, the person chairing the meeting has a second or casting vote. If a Professional Member, Subscriber or Supporter of the Charity is voted in as chair of the Group, the chair still has the second or casting vote.
A quorum of a meeting of the Committee must be no less than half of the Committee including two officers. No decisions must be made unless the meeting is quorate.
No payment must be made to any Committee Member for acting as a Committee Member except as repayment of receipted expenses properly and reasonably incurred on behalf of the Group.
The Officers must ensure the Charity has an up to date list of their names and addresses.
If there is good reason, the Charity may remove any Committee Member. The remaining Committee Members may then appoint another Member of the Group to the Committee until the next AGM. Any person removed as a Committee Member by the Charity must not be reappointed by the Committee.
If a Committee Member is removed by the Charity, they must immediately hand over any Group documents or other Group property to the Committee.

Annual General Meetings

An AGM must be held not later than 31st May each year (following the establishment of the Group) at which the Group’s annual report and accounts for the preceding calendar year must be presented and agreed. (Please see Handbook for further details).
The Officers must advertise the AGM to all the Group’s Members at least 28 days before the date of the meeting. This can be done in writing or by email.
If the Officers fail to call an AGM to be held by 31st May in any year, any Group Member may complain to the Chief Executive of the Charity who must then call the meeting.
The quorum for an AGM is 10% of the Group’s registered Full Members or ten registered Full Members (whichever is lower). Resolutions may be passed by a simple majority of those present and with the right to vote. There is one vote per Full Member (or parent or guardian of a Full Member) at the AGM. In accordance with clause 6.3 Professional Members, Subscribers and Supporters of the Charity who are Group Committee Members may also have one vote per Committee Member.
Written minutes of the AGM recording the votes and decisions must be circulated to all Members of the Committee and to the Charity’s High Wycombe office within 28 days of the meeting. This may be done in the preferred format of the Group (i.e. photocopy of the Group’s minutes book or by email). The minutes should also be available on request to all Group Members.

Special General Meetings
A Special General Meeting must be called at any time at the request of the Committee, or by more than one quarter of the Group’s Full Members.
The Officers must send a note of the date, time and place of a Special General Meeting, with a list of items to be discussed, to all of the Group’s Members and the Charity’s High Wycombe office at least 28 days before the date of the meeting. The note can be in writing or by email.
If the Officers fail to call a Special General Meeting within two months of a proper request to do so, any Group Member may object to the Chief Executive of the Charity, who shall then call the meeting.
The quorum for a Special General Meeting shall be 10% of the Group’s registered Full Members or ten registered Full Members (whichever is lower). Decisions must be passed by a two-thirds majority of those present who have the right to vote. There shall be one vote per Full Member of the Charity (or parent or guardian of a Member). In accordance with clause 6.3 Professional Members, Subscribers and Supporters of the Charity who are Committee Members may also have one vote per Committee Member.
Written minutes recording the votes and decision taken at each Special General Meeting must be prepared and circulated to all Members of the Committee and to the Charity’s High Wycombe office within 28 days after each meeting. This may be done in the preferred format of the Group (i.e. photocopy of the Group’s minutes book or by email). The minutes should also be available on request to all Group Members.

Finances

Under charity law, the Charity must be able to demonstrate that the money raised and spent by the Local Voluntary Support Group is spent on furthering the Charity’s aims. Therefore the Group must ensure that:

All money raised in the name of the Charity and held by the Group in its bank account, is part of the Charity’s general funds and must be used only to support the aims of the Charity.
The Group must open a bank account with Charity Aids Foundation (CAF) Bank with the assistance of the Finance Department of the Charity.
The Treasurer must keep accurate accounts of the finances of the Group.
At each meeting of the Committee, the Treasurer and/or the Group Organiser must present a statement (written or oral) of the accounts of the Group. Acceptance of these accounts by the Committee shall be recorded in the Committee’s minutes.
All cheques and payment orders must be signed by two of the Officers, one of whom should normally be the Treasurer.
Twice yearly, the Treasurer must provide a summary financial return to the Charity, in the format and by the time required by the Charity.
Twice yearly, the Treasurer must provide a summary financial return to the Finance Department of the Charity, in addition to duplicate bank statements in the format, and by the time, required by the Charity.
At the end of the financial year (31st December), the Treasurer shall prepare accounts for presentation to the Group’s AGM.
The Group must not make any payment to any Group Member except as repayment of receipted expenses properly incurred on behalf of the Group.
The Group must not incur a bank overdraft or commit expenditure beyond its reasonable resources.
The Officers must inform the Volunteer and Campaigns Manager if they intend to apply for a grant, set out how they will use any grant that they obtain and supply a copy of the grant application to the Volunteer and Campaigns Manager prior to submission. Any recommendations made by the Volunteer and Campaigns Manager must be incorporated into the grant application.

Transfer of funds to the Charity’s central accounts

Any funds raised for the Group’s activities must be retained in the Group’s bank account until needed, unless the Committee decides that these can be transferred to the Charity’s central accounts.
Funds deemed by the Committee to be surplus to its reasonable needs, must be transferred to the Charity’s central bank account. The Committee may request that the funds are used for a particular purpose within the Charity’s aims but there is no legal obligation on the Charity to do so.
Funds raised for specific activities undertaken by the Charity’s High Wycombe office must be remitted to the High Wycombe office within 2 months of the Group obtaining the funds.

Other responsibilities

Group Members must not give medical advice and must not publish, in any form, medical or dietetic information unless it has been approved, in writing by, the Charity’s High Wycombe office.
The Group must not undertake or promote medical research, or similar projects, without the approval, in writing, of the Board of Governors of the Charity.
In the event that the Committee of the Group experience conflict among themselves, or with Members of the Group, they must promptly ask the Charity to arrange for mediation.
Groups must abide by the child or vulnerable person protection, data protection and discrimination policies and should follow best practice guidance laid out in the Handbook.
Groups must use the Charity’s logo and house style according to the organisation’s corporate identity (laid out in the Handbook).
The Charity shall not be responsible for paying invoices incurred by the Group, unless agreed in writing beforehand with the Charity’s High Wycombe office.
The Committee must keep proper records of:

all proceedings at AGMs
all proceedings at Committee meetings
all appointments to and discharges from membership of the Committee
all formal communications with the Charity concerning the management of the Group.

No money must be raised for a specific activity of the Charity unless the Charity’s High Wycombe office has approved the wording of the appeal.

Closing the Group

If the Committee decides to close the Group, it must convene a Special General Meeting. If, by a simple majority vote of registered Full Members confirm this decision, the Group must be dissolved with immediate effect.
The Board of Governors has the power to close any Local Voluntary Support Group not complying with this Constitution, or otherwise acting to bring the name of the Charity into disrepute or in respect of serious breaches of governance. The Charity must give written notice to all Officers and known Members of the Group. Failure to notify any Member will not invalidate the decision.

In either case, any assets remaining after settlement of the Group’s debts must be transferred to the Charity by the Officers and the Group’s bank account closed. The Committee must hand over to the Charity all documents and other property relating to the Group.