Club Rules & Constitution

Revised April 2016

Name

  1. The Club shall be called the North of England Irish Terrier Club.

Objects

  1. The objects for which the Club is established are :
  2. a) To promote the breeding of pure Irish Terriers
  3. b) To define precisely and publish a description of the true type, and urge the adoption of such type as adopted by the Irish Terrier Clubs on Breeders, Judges, Dog Show Committees, etc.
  4. c) To do all in its power to protect and advance the interests of the Breed by offering prizes, supporting appropriate shows, and taking other steps that might be deemed advisable for the purpose of holding a Club Show when deemed advisable.

Membership

  1. The Club shall be open to membership to all those who have an interest in Irish Terriers and who pay the Annual Subscription, except those excluded under Rule 7. The Club shall make a list of Members and their addresses available for inspection if so requested by the Members of the Club or by the Kennel Club.
  2. The Annual Subscription shall be set by agreement of the Members in Annual General Meeting and notified to the Kennel Club. Current rates may be obtained from the Honorary Treasurer.

Subscriptions shall be payable at the date of admission and thereafter on 1st. January each year, but those joining on or after 1st. October in any year shall be deemed to have paid the Subscription up to 31st. December of the following year.

  1. No Member shall be entitled to be present or to take part in any proceedings or vote at any General Meeting of the Club or to nominate or be nominated as a candidate for election to the Committee, if and while he/she is due to the Club any Subscription.
  2. Any Member whose Annual Subscription is not paid within twelve months from the date it became payable will forfeit his/her rights to and benefits of Membership until such time as the Subscription is paid.
  3. Any Member who shall be suspended under Kennel Club Rule A42j(4) and/or any Member whose dog(s) is/are disqualified under Kennel Club Rule A42j(8) shall ipso facto cease to be a Member of the Club for the duration of the suspension and/or disqualification.
    If the conduct of any Member shall, in the opinion of the Committee of the Club be injurious or likely to be injurious to the character or interests of the Club, the Committee of the Club may, at a meeting the notice convening which includes as an object the consideration of the conduct of the Member, determine that a Special General Meeting of the Club shall be called for the purpose of passing a resolution to expel him/her.

Notice of the Special General Meeting shall be sent to the accused Member, giving particulars of the complaint and advising the place, date and hour of the Meeting that he/she may attend and offer an explanation. If at the Meeting, a resolution to expel is passed by a two-thirds majority of the Members present and voting, his/her name shall forthwith be erased from the list of Members, and he/she shall thereupon cease for all purposes to be a Member of the Club except that he/she may, within two calendar months from the date of such Meeting, appeal to the Kennel Club upon and subject to such condition as the Kennel Club may impose.

  1. a) The Club shall be managed by the President, Chairman, Vice-Chairman, Honorary Secretary, Honorary Treasurer, and a Committee of not more than twelve excluding the President, Chairman, Vice-Chairman, Secretary and Treasurer and who shall be ex-officio members of the Committee. The Secretary and Treasurer may be the same person.
  2. b) The Club may at its discretion appoint a Patron. The position of Patron shall carry with it the highest mark of esteem by the Club in recognition of service to Irish Terriers. The position shall be an honorary one, it shall not require the Patron to undertake any duties within the Club, and the Patron need not necessarily be a Member of the Club.
  3. The Officers and Committee members shall be elected annually by ballot at the Annual General Meeting but, if it is found impossible to hold the General Meeting as below provided for, the existing incumbents shall remain in office until such Meeting takes place. The Committee shall have the power to co-opt Members to the Committee in the event of positions becoming vacant between General Meetings. Those co-opted shall only hold office until the next General Meeting of the Club at which an election of Officers and Committee takes place. No individual who has been a Member of the Club for less than two years may be elected on to the Committee.
  4. No person whilst an undischarged bankrupt may serve on the Committee of or hold any other office or appointment within the Club.
  5. A member of the Committee shall vacate office if he/she ceases to be a Member of the Club.
  6. The Committee shall conduct the business of the Club at Committee meetings, notice of which shall be sent to all members at least ten days in advance. Decisions of the Committee shall be by a majority of votes with each member and officer present, except the Chairman, being entitled to vote but, in the event of an equality of votes the Chairman of the meeting shall have the casting vote. Should urgent business arise which cannot await a formal meeting, the Secretary may obtain a decision by correspondence with all members, the approval of a majority of Committee members being required. A quorum at a Committee meeting shall be four.
  7. a) The Club shall maintain lists of judges supported by the Committee. The lists shall indicate those judges who the Club has supported to award Challenge Certificates in Irish Terriers and are approved by the Kennel Club; those who the Club will support to award Challenge Certificates but are not yet approved by the Kennel Club; those persons who will be supported by the Club to judge Irish Terriers where Challenge Certificates are not on offer; those persons who have demonstrated a current, active interest in the breed.
  8. b) The lists shall be set out in the manner prescribed by the Kennel Club and shall be submitted to the Kennel club as part of the Annual Returns.
  9. c) The lists shall be revised annually by the Committee.
  10. d) The Committee shall elect the judges for the Club Shows.

(Jan 2015)

Financial Arrangements

Financial Arrangements

  1. a) The financial year of the Club shall end on the 31st. December.

(Jan 2015)

  1. b) The Club Accounts shall be certified annually and presented to the Members at the Annual General Meeting.
  2. Such Banking Accounts as may be considered necessary by the Committee shall be opened in the name of the Club and to which shall be credited all revenue. Withdrawals shall be made only on the signature of two or more Officers, one of whom shall be the Honorary Treasurer.

General Meetings

General Meetings

  1. The Annual General Meeting of the Club shall be held in the month of April each year prior to the Open Show and at the same venue.

(Jan 2015)

  1. At least twenty-eight days’ notice specifying the place and the time of any General Meeting, and in the case of special business, the nature of the business, shall be sent by post to each Member of the Club.

(April 2016)

  1. No business shall be transacted at an Annual General Meeting unless notice thereof appears on the agenda, with the exception of Any Other Business which in the opinion of the Chairman of the Meeting is urgent. All notices to be placed on the agenda should reach the Honorary Secretary no less than fourteen days prior to the meeting.

(April 2016)

  1. Special General Meetings may be called at any time by the Committee or by requisition in writing to the Honorary Secretary signed by at least five Members stating the nature of the business to be transacted. No business other than that named in the notice shall be brought before a Special General Meeting.
  2. At each Annual or Special General Meeting the Chairman, whom failing the Vice-Chairman if willing and if present within fifteen minutes after the time appointed for holding the Meeting, shall take the Chair, otherwise the Members present shall elect a Chairman to preside at that Meeting only. A quorum at an Annual or Special General Meeting shall be four.
  3. Each Member and Officer present, except the Chairman, shall be entitled to one vote at a General Meeting. Joint Membership shall entitle the holders present to not more than two votes. In the event of an equality of votes the Chairman of the Meeting shall have a casting vote.

22 a). One qualified, or two unqualified persons with auditing experience, shall be elected as Auditor(s) annually at a General Meeting.

22 b). The Club accounts will be certified annually and presented to the Members at the Annual General Meeting.

Trophies

Trophies

  1. All trophies donated to the Club shall be deemed to be the sole property of the Club and shall not be accepted under any other condition.
  2. All the Club’s Trophies shall be put up for competition annually.
  3. Only duly paid-up Members of the Club shall be eligible to compete for the Trophies.

Constitution and Rules

  1. These Constitution and Rules of the Club, which shall form the basis of membership, may be altered by a majority of two-thirds of the Members present and entitled to vote at a General Meeting notice of which includes details of the proposal to alter the Rules. Such alterations shall not be brought into force until the Kennel Club has been advised and has given its approval of the alterations.

Winding Up or Dissolution

  1. The property of the Club shall be vested in the Committee.
  2. In the event of the Club ceasing to exist and after any outstanding debts have been paid, any assets that remain shall not be distributed amongst the Members but shall be given or transferred to some other organisation(s) having Objects similar to the Objects of this Club and whose Rules prohibit the distribution of its assets amongst its Members, such organisation(s) to be determined by the Members of this Club at the time of dissolution. If effect cannot be given to these provisions, the assets shall be given to the Kennel Club to be held for the benefit of Irish Terriers.
  3. If the Club is wound up or ceases to be a Registered Society under Kennel Club Regulations, a final statement of audited accounts with a record of the disposal of the property of the Club shall be forwarded to the Kennel Club within six months and the persons named as Officers and Committee of the Club on the last return furnished to the Kennel Club will be held responsible by the Kennel Club for the proper winding-up of the Club.

The Kennel Club

  1. The Officers of the Club acknowledge that, during the month of January each year, Maintenance of Title Fee will be forwarded to the Kennel Club by the Honorary Secretary for the continuance of Registration and that, by the 31st. July each year, other returns as stipulated in Kennel Club Regulations for the Registration and Maintenance of Title of Societies be forwarded to the Kennel Club. The Officers also acknowledge their duty to inform the Kennel Club of any changes of Secretary of the Club which may occur during the course of the year.
  2. The Kennel Club is the final authority for interpreting these Rules and Regulations of the Club and in all cases relative to Canine or Club matters.
  3. The Club shall not join any Federation of Societies or Clubs.