Constitution of the Cropredy Film Society

Name and Objects

• The society shall be known as ‘Cropredy Film Society’. The Society’s objects are the general promotion of film making and presentation of moving images within the village of Cropredy and surrounding villages; and the income and property of the society shall be applied solely to those objects.

Compliance

1. The society shall be administered in accordance with the regulations for non-commercial film clubs, as defined by the British Federation of Film Societies.

• The Society shall be non-political and shall not be run for the private profit of a member or members. Any balance at the end of the year shall be carried over and devoted to the Objects of the Society.

Membership

1. The members of the society shall be those who apply for membership, who are admitted to and maintained in membership by the committee and who have paid the relevant lifetime subscription.

• Membership of the society shall entitle the holder to reserve attendance at all film shows and other meetings
• Only members and their guests shall be admitted to film showings.
• The Committee may remove a person from membership for good cause.
• Temporary membership shall be included in the ticket prices for adults bringing children to the matinee performances.
• Honorary lifetime membership (including free entry to all films) may be granted by a majority vote of the Committee, to individuals for outstanding service to the Cropredy Film Society.

Meetings of the Members

1. There shall be an Annual General Meeting for all members of the Society, convened by the Secretary on not less than 14 days’ notice.
2. The Annual General Meeting will :-
1. Receive the annual report of the committee for the previous year and the annual accounts for the Society for the previous year, the report and accounts having been approved by the committee.
2. Elect members of the committee in accordance with Para 1.below
3. Consider any motions of which due notice has been given, and any other relevant business.

• An Extraordinary General Meeting may be called by the Chairperson, Secretary or Treasurer on not less than 7 days notice; or on a written requisition by 5 or more members, stating the reason for which the meeting is to be called, to be delivered to the Secretary not less than 14 days before the date of the meeting.
• Prior to all General Meetings notice of the agenda shall be sent out with the notice of the meeting.
• The quorum for a General Meeting shall be 6 members present in person of who 3 must be members of the Committee. When any financial business is to be transacted there must be present the Treasurer, or a member of the Committee deputed by the Treasurer to represent his or her views to the committee.

The Committee

1. The affairs of the Society shall be administered by a Committee consisting of not more than 8 persons. The committee shall be elected annually at the Annual General Meeting
2. The Committee shall determine the subscriptions payable by the members of the society and have ultimate responsibility for the activities of the Society. The Committee shall have control of the funds and property of the Society and its administration.
3. The quorum for a committee meeting shall be 3 members present in person. When any financial business is to be transacted, there must be present either the Treasurer or a member of the committee deputed by the Treasurer to represent his or her views to the meeting.
4. The Committee shall be made up of the Chairperson, the Secretary, the Treasurer and the Film Co-ordinator and not more than 4 non officers.
5. The Chairperson will chair all committee meetings and have the casting vote in the event of a tied vote
6. The Secretary shall:
1. Maintain a register of the members of the Society
2. Give notice of meetings of the members and the committee
3. Draw up the minutes of those meetings
4. Circulate details of the film seasons to members in advance
5. Book the Village Hall for film showings
7. The Treasurer shall:

• Keep proper records of the Society’s financial transactions in accordance with current accounting rules and practices;
• Ensure that bills are paid and cash banked
• Co-ordinate the Box Office arrangements for each film showing
• Prepare annual accounts for presentation at the Annual General Meeting

1. The Film Co-ordinator shall:
1. Co-ordinate the selection of films each season
2. Arrange booking, delivery and return of such films with the distributor.
3. Co-ordinate arrangements for the showing of the films on the night by delegating, for each showing, the responsibility for screening, front of house and catering

1. No member of the committee shall be removed from office except by the approving votes of 2/3 of those present in person or by proxy at a General Meeting.

Dissolution

1. The Society may be dissolved at any time by the approving votes of 2/3 of those present in person or by proxy at a General Meeting.
2. In the event of the Club being dissolved, and after all debts have been paid, its assets shall be distributed between one or more not-for-profit organisations or charities.

Administration of Film Showings

1. In order to comply with the regulations of the British Federation of Film Societies the following rules will apply:
1. People coming to the films must be members or their guests
2. Showings will be in the village hall or other licensed premises
3. Vouchers for each showing must be pre-booked and pre-paid. ( no vouchers can be reserved or money taken on the door )
4. Members may bring guests (max 2 per member) but they must be signed in.  

5th December 2007

Officers of the Society present:
Brenda Day (chairman); Maurice Cox; Janet Green (treasurer); Ray Moss; Verna Wass; Frances Whitaker (secretary)

Chairman’s welcome and report
Brenda Day (BD) welcomed the 55 members present. She said: We’ve now completed three years of the Cropredy Film Society. We continue the pattern of two seasons a year: Spring and Autumn. Each season we have four film suppers. We’ve suspended the children’s matinees due to lack of support but starting this year – 2010- we’re screening more specialist films on Sunday afternoons. The post-Christmas special continues to be very popular. Our membership has grown to 170, and we generally show to good audiences averaging around 51.
We’ve provisionally booked the Village Hall (VH) for three film supper and two Sunday matinees in the autumn. The Christmas special will be on Thursday December 30. Once the dates are confirmed, they’ll be circulated.
Ray and Maurice continue to improve our technology. This year the Hearing Induction Loop has been installed and is judged to be a success. We’re very grateful to the VH and the Parish Council for their help with financing improvements. Ray has gone from strength to strength with his trailers and advertising. We do enjoy them, so special thanks are due (APPLAUSE).
The catering has been very successful and several village charities have benefitted: FIRS, Cropredy Luncheon Club, Cropredy WI, the Painting Group and Cropredy Tower Bellringers. Tonight we’d like to thank St Mary’s Handbell group for the catering. The installation of the dishwasher by the VH has made the clearing up both quicker and more hygienic.
Special thanks also to Camille at The Perfect Present, and to John Brown who helps Ray and Maurice with the setting up, for all their help. I’d also like to thank on your behalf all the members of the committee who enjoyably keep the show on the road. Finally, our thanks to all those who help to tidy up at the end of each film evening.

Minutes from AGM 2009
BD said that the Minutes from 2009 AGM had been circulated at the time and were still available on the website. She therefore proposed that they should be taken as read, and there was general consent. Hard copies were available at the front desk should anyone need to consult them tonight.

Treasurer’s report from Janet Green. “Last year there was a profit of £429, despite the purchase in the year of the rolldown screen. There is a healthy bank balance of £4K, which would pay for any larger one-off costs, for instance replacement of equipment such as the projector. We have paid out almost £1000 in total to other village groups who have done the catering”. It had also been possible to simplify the ticket prices by reducing all seats for members to £8, but retaining the £2 supplement for guests. She expressed thanks to Gill Moss for auditing the accounts.

Officers for 2010/11
BD asked for general approval that the present officers, who were prepared to stand again, should be voted for en bloc. She made a plea for new members to invigorate the existing committee. Roger Watkiss proposed that the committee should be re-elected, and this was seconded by John Brown.

AOB
Nothing was raised, and BD therefore declared the Annual General Meeting for 2010 closed.