LaPerm Cat Club

1)     NAME

a)     The Club shall be called the LaPerm Cat Club and referred to throughout this document as 'the Club’.

2)     AIMS AND OBJECTIVES

a)     To work for a wider recognition and appreciation of LaPerm cats by owning, breeding and exhibiting LaPerm Longhairs, Shorthairs and Variants.

b)     To work to produce a co-ordinated breeding programme for the further development of the breed.

c)      To promote the welfare of all cats. This should be of paramount importance to all members of the Club.  The Welfare Coordinator, or any other member of the Committee, will be available to all members for help and advice.

d)     To seek affiliation to the GCCF and apply for affiliation when the requirements of Council are met.

e)     To seek representation on the relevant Breed Advisory Committee, once affiliation has been granted.

3)     MEMBERSHIP

a)     The Club shall consist of an unlimited number of members.  Membership shall be open to any person who agrees to abide by the rules of the Club, subject to their application being approved by the Committee.

b)     Classification of membership shall be as follows:

i)       Single membership shall enjoy all the privileges of the Club and shall be entitled to vote at all General Meetings or by postal ballot when deemed necessary.

ii)     Joint membership shall be open to any two persons sharing the same address or joint prefix.  Joint members shall be entitled to the full privileges of the Club, but shall receive only one copy of literature, apart from voting papers.

iii)   Junior membership shall be available to any person under the age of sixteen.  Junior members shall have no voting rights, but shall enjoy a reduced membership subscription.

iv)   Founder membership shall be available to any person joining the Club within one month of its launch and members shall enjoy the full privileges as at (i), but shall pay a higher initial membership subscription and a normal fee thereafter

v)     Honorary Membership can be bestowed upon or removed from any person by the Committee in order to honour that person for their significant contribution to the LaPerm breed. Honorary members shall have no voting rights, but shall enjoy free membership subscription

c)      Application for membership

i)       Application for membership shall be made on the appropriate form.  Membership shall be granted subject to ratification by the Committee.  In the event that an application for membership is rejected, no reason need be given.

ii) On joining the club all new members will receive a letter of welcome, a copy of the club’s rules and any additional appropriate material available, e.g. a copy of the last newsletter as well as the current SOP.

d)     Termination of membership

i)       Should a member of the Club be suspended by the Governing Council of the Cat Fancy, they shall automatically cease membership of the Club and must apply for reinstatement when the period of suspension is over.

ii)     The Committee may terminate the membership of any Member violating the Rules of the Club, or whose declared opinions or conduct is, in the judgement of the Committee, prejudicial to the welfare, breeding or exhibiting of cats or likely to prove injurious to the character, reputation or interest of the Club.  In the event of a complaint being upheld by the Committee, the Member concerned will be notified of the reasons for this decision in writing by the Secretary.  The Member may appeal in writing to the next available meeting of the Committee.  If the original decision is still upheld following this process, the Member concerned will have the right to make representation to the next AGM of the Club after informing the Secretary of this intention in writing.

e)     Subscription Fees

i)       The Annual Subscription Fees shall be fixed at a level proposed by the Committee and ratified at the AGM.  Subscriptions shall fall due by 31st January annually and there will, in addition, be a one-off joining fee of £2.00.  Membership will be deemed lapsed if subscriptions have not been paid by the due date.

f)       Support of an individual for a GCCF prefix

i)       The Club will support the application of bona fide members in good standing in their applications for a GCCF Prefix. It is expected that normally an individual would have been a fully paid up member of the Club for a minimum period of one year before an Application for Prefix could be signed by the secretary. Exceptions may be made in some circumstances at the discretion of the committee. 

g)       On joining the Club

i)       On joining the club all new members will receive a letter of welcome, a copy of the club’s rules and any additional appropriate material available, e.g. a copy of the last newsletter as well as the current SOP.

4)     HONORARY CLUB OFFICERS AND COMMITTEE

a)     President

i)       A President may be elected annually at the AGM and may be nominated in the same way as the Committee, or by nomination duly proposed and seconded from the floor.  The President may attend Committee meetings but shall have no vote.

b)     Committee

i)       The affairs of the Club shall be directed on behalf of the members by a Committee, consisting of the Chair, Vice-Chair, Secretary and Treasurer, and six other elected members, all of whom shall have been a fully paid up adult member of the Club for a minimum of 12 months.  A quorum shall consist of six members, at least two of whom shall be Officers of the Club.

ii)     Only members of the Club shall be eligible to serve on the Committee.  Nominations for a member to serve on the Committee shall be put in writing to the Hon. Secretary, to be postmarked on or before a date specified by the committee which shall be at least 6 weeks before the date of the AGM.  Such nominations must be proposed and seconded by fully paid up members of the Club and be signed by the nominee.  If the number of nominations exceeds the number of vacancies, a postal ballot will be taken prior to the Annual General Meeting.

iii)   Elections for committee shall take place by rotation to ensure that the Club is not faced with the position of having to hold elections for all Committee positions in the same year.  All retiring Committee members will be eligible to stand for re-election immediately.  Each Committee member shall serve for a period of 2 years, and shall be eligible for re-election at the end of this time.

iv)   Officer posts will be held for a period of 1 year and will be elected by the Committee from amongst its members at the Committee meeting following the AGM. 

v)     If any member of the Committee shall be absent for three consecutive meetings without reasonable explanation, they shall be deemed to have resigned. 

vi)   To fill any vacancy, the Committee shall have the power to co-opt a member to serve until the next AGM.  The Co-opted member may then stand for election at the next AGM.  Co-opted members will not normally have voting rights, except that the committee may at their discretion confer full voting rights on any member(s) co-opted at or immediately after the AGM who are to serve for the full year. 

vii) The Committee shall have the power to co-opt temporarily, in a non-voting capacity, a person or persons with specialised knowledge.

viii)           No elected Officer, Committee Member or Delegate may serve as an Officer, other Committee Member or Delegate of any other club which is a specialist breed club for LaPerm cats.

ix)   The Property of the Club i.e. records, show support and fund raising items, shall be vested in the Committee and must be returned in full on leaving the Committee.  No member of the Committee shall personally be liable for any loss or damage, except that arising from their gross negligence or fraud.

5)     DUTIES OF OFFICERS AND OTHER COMMITTEE MEMBERS

Chair

The Chair shall;

Preside over all meetings of the Committee and meetings in general as required.

Call meetings as required in consultation with the Secretary.

Have an individual vote as well as a Casting vote at all meetings.

Make decisions where these are urgently required (and it is impractical to consult with the full Committee) in consultation with at least two other members of the Committee.

Ensure that the power vested above should not be used lightly and should reflect the general views of the Committee.

Vice-Chair

The Vice-Chair shall;

Deputise in the absence, or at the request, of the Chair, and shall have the same duties and responsibilities.

Secretary

The Secretary shall;

Conduct correspondence on behalf of the Club.

Prepare and distribute documents to the Committee and to Members at the request of the Committee Officers and Committee itself.

Maintain an accurate record of all Committee and General meetings of the Club.

Treasurer

The Treasurer shall

Be responsible for all the financial transactions of the Club.

Maintain accurate records of these.

Present independently examined accounts at each AGM (with the independent examiner for the coming year being appointed at the preceding AGM).

Present full details of the Club's finances at each Committee meeting.

Liaise with the Membership Secretary in keeping an up to date register of Members.

Non-official Positions

The Committee may appoint the following positions from within their number;

Membership Secretary

Show Support Secretary

Welfare Co-ordinator

Fund Raising Co-ordinator

Kitten List Registrar

Publicity Co-ordinator

Website Co-ordinator

Sub-Committees

The Committee may appoint sub-committees and these will include at least one Officer of the Club.  Minutes shall be kept of sub-committee meetings and shall be presented to the Secretary to be included on the Agenda of the next appropriate Committee meeting.

GCCF Delegates

The Delegate(s) and a Reserve if allowed by GCCF, who must be current members of the Committee, shall be elected at the Annual General Meeting to serve for one year, being then eligible for immediate re-election.  Nominations shall be made duly proposed and seconded from the floor at the Annual General Meeting.  A Delegate may be a delegate of only one cat club at a time.

BAC Representatives

The committee shall elect from amongst its number the specified number of representatives and reserves to serve on the relevant BAC or any other body specifically concerned with Appointment of Judges, amendments to Standard of Points or Breeding and Registration Policies of the LaPerm.  Representatives, who must fulfil any requirements specified by the GCCF, shall serve for one year and shall cease to be a representative on resignation from committee.

6)     GENERAL MEETINGS

a)     AGMs

i)       The Annual General Meeting shall be held not later than 30th April each year.

ii)     All matters for inclusion on the Agenda of the Annual General Meeting must reach the Secretary by the date specified by the committee, which must be at least 6 weeks before the date of the meeting. 

iii)   Notice of the meeting, together with the Agenda, must be posted to all paid up members at least six weeks before the date of the meeting.

b)     EGMs

i)       An Extraordinary General Meeting may be called whenever the committee think it expedient or by written and signed request of at least twenty members of the Club (specifying the business to be discussed), of which 75% of the signatories must attend the EGM.  No other business shall be discussed other than the item(s) or motion(s) proposed.

ii)     An EGM shall be called within two calendar months of a written request being received by the Secretary.

iii)   Notice of an EGM, together with the Agenda, must be posted to all paid up Members of the Club at least three weeks before the date of the meeting.

iv)   The cost of holding an EGM must be met in full and in advance by those Members requesting the EGM.  Reimbursement of the costs involved will be decided at the EGM by those members attending the EGM.

c)      Meeting Procedures

i)       A quorum at all general meetings shall consist of eleven paid up Members, including Officers and other Committee members of the Club.

ii)     Matters relating to the Constitution and Rules and breed standards shall require a two thirds majority of those present and voting.  Should the Chair, or two thirds of the members present require it, any resolution may be taken by a paper ballot.

iii)   Resolutions, other than matters relating to the LaPerm Cat Club Constitutions and Rules and breed standards, shall be passed by a simple majority of those present and voting.

d)     Postal Ballots

i)       In the event of a postal ballot the Committee shall appoint an independent scrutineer, who shall not be a Member of the Club.

ii)     The ballot papers shall be posted to the membership at least fourteen days before the closing date of the ballot.

iii)   The closing date of the ballot shall be at least fourteen days before the meeting at which the result(s) are to be announced.

7)     COMMITTEE MEETINGS

a)     A minimum of three Committee meetings will be held per year.

b)     Notice of the date, time and venue of meetings, together with the Agenda, minutes and any other relevant paperwork shall be given to all Committee members at least fourteen days prior to the meeting in the usual manner.

c)      Minutes of Committee meetings will be available to the Membership of the Club (upon receipt of an sae), once they have been approved at the next Committee meeting.

d)     A quorum shall consist of six members, at least two of whom shall be Officers of the Club.

8)     FINANCE

a)     The funds of the Club shall be deposited in a Bank or Building Society account in the name of the Club.

b)     Payments out of the funds of the Club shall be authorised only by the signatures of any two of the elected Officers, (i.e. the Chair, the Vice-Chair, the Secretary and the Treasurer).  This should include the signature of the Treasurer whenever possible.

c)      Subject to the discretion of the Committee, all bona fide and legal expenses incurred on behalf of the Club shall be defrayed from the funds of the Club.

d)     The Club's Financial Year shall run from 1 January to 31 December of each year.

9)     ALTERATIONS TO THE RULES

No alteration shall be made to these rules except at an Annual General Meeting or at an Extraordinary Meeting called for that purpose.  The notice of such a motion must appear on the Agenda of that meeting and must be approved by a two-thirds majority of those present and voting.

10)DISSOLUTION OF THE CLUB

Twenty eight days notice of any proposal to wind up the Club shall be given in writing to the members and an Extraordinary General Meeting called to consider the matter.  If the proposal to dissolve the Club is confirmed by two-thirds of the members present and voting, the Club's liabilities shall be discharged and any balance of funds given to the Cat Welfare Trust (Registered Charity No. 800719).  Trophies shall be returned to their donors wherever possible.  Any not so returned shall be distributed to other clubs at the discretion of the Committee.

11)AFFILIATION TO THE GCCF

a)     The Club shall abide by the rules and regulations of the Governing Council of the Cat Fancy and any subsequent amendments.

b)     Members of the Club shall be bound by the rules and disciplinary powers of the GCCF in accordance with the Constitution of the Council.

c)      The Club shall participate in any joint body recognised by the Council which aims to further the Club’s Aims and Objectives.