CLUB RULES

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Last revised 2022

1. Name and objectives
The name of the society shall be The Soft-Coated Wheaten Terrier Club of Great Britain and its objectives shall be:

a) to promote the breeding of pure Soft-Coated Wheaten Terriers

b) to maintain the breed type according to the Breed Standard as approved by the Kennel Club, and to urge owners, breeders and judges to adhere to the Standard

c) to do all in its power to protect and advance the interests of the breed, by rendering assistance to breeders and owners, and by offering prizes, by supporting shows, and by taking appropriate steps to promote a high standard of health

d) to uphold any Code of Ethics developed by the Soft-Coated Wheaten Terrier Club.

2. Officers, committee and members
The Club shall consist of President, Vice President(s), Chairman, Honorary Secretary, Honorary Treasurer, nine ordinary Committee members, and an unlimited number of members, all of whose names and addresses shall be entered in a register for publication annually, and open to inspection by members, or by the Kennel Club, at reasonable times.

3. Committee
a) The management of the Club shall be in the hands of a Committee consisting of the Honorary Secretary, Honorary Treasurer and nine ordinary members. The President may attend meetings but has no vote. Meetings of the Committee shall be held as often as may be deemed necessary but not less than once every four months. Five members, at least one of whom shall be the Secretary or Treasurer, shall form a quorum for the transaction of business.

b) It shall be competent for the Honorary Secretary to transact all urgent business by letter to all Committee members, but the replies in writing of five members (i.e. four plus one voting officer) of the Committee must be obtained before such business shall be considered as having the sanction of the Committee.

c) A Chairman, not necessarily a member of the Committee, shall preside over official Club and Committee meetings and does not have normal voting powers, but has the right to exercise a casting vote in the event of a tied decision.

d) The office of President is a position of honour, and once elected, a President will normally remain in office for a period of 10 years unless terminated by prior resignation or death. The President will be expected to maintain an active interest in the Club, but is not expected to attend all Committee meetings.

e) The office of Vice President is a position of honour awarded in recognition of outstanding service to the breed.

f) The Committee shall have the power to deal with any questions not provided for by the rules, and in the event of any vacancy in the office of Honorary Secretary or Honorary Treasurer by death, resignation or otherwise, occurring after the Annual General Meeting, the Committee shall have the power to fill the vacancy until the following Annual General Meeting.
The Committee shall have the authority to co-opt members on to the Committee in the event of a position becoming vacant between General meetings. Those co-opted shall only hold office until the next General Meeting of the Society at which an election of officers and Committee takes place. Co-opted Committee members shall not have voting rights at Committee meetings.

g) The committee shall be able to appoint members as deemed necessary for special duties, but such appointed members shall not have a committee vote.

h) Any committee member who fails to attend two consecutive Committee meetings without good cause shall automatically cease to be a member of the Committee. However, if the member can give good reason for unavoidably being in this position, the committee may, at their discretion, take a vote on reinstatement as a full committee member with voting rights.

4. Membership
a) Election of new members. Any person supporting the objects of the Club shall be eligible for admission as a member, and each candidate shall be proposed by one member of the Club and seconded by another, such proposing and seconding constituting admission without ballot, unless objected to by two of the Committee. Members joining after October 31st in any year will be full members for the following year.

b) Subscriptions. The annual subscription shall be: single, joint (two members residing at the same address), or junior (under 16). The annual subscription shall be such amount as agreed by Membership in General Meeting and notified to the Kennel Club.

The subscriptions are payable to the Honorary Treasurer on 1st January each year. There will be no life membership, but existing Life Membership will continue to be honoured.

No member whose subscription is unpaid is entitled to any of the privileges of membership, and if the member shall fail to pay outstanding subscriptions by 1st March, his or her name shall be automatically erased from the list of members.

If the committee subsequently receive a late renewal application, but no later than twenty-four months since subscriptions were due, the member may, at the discretion of the Committee and payment of arrears, be readmitted. Any member who has broken membership for a period of more than twenty-four months shall become a new member and Rule 4a shall apply”

c) Expulsion of members. Any member who shall be disqualified under Kennel Club Rule A11.j.(5) and/or Kennel Club Rule A11.j.(9) shall ipso facto cease to be a member of the Society. 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 of 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 conditions as the Kennel Club may impose. The Club must report in writing, with particulars, to The Kennel Club the expulsion of any member for discreditable conduct in connection with dogs, Dog Shows, Trials or Competitions. This must be done within seven days.

5. Club property

a) The property of the Club shall be vested in the Committee. In the event of the Club ceasing to exist, a General Meeting shall be called to decide the disposal of any assets and the outcome of the meeting notified to the Kennel Club. All documents, books, etc. shall be sent to the Kennel Club for safe keeping, along with a final statement of accounts and a record of the disposal of the property of the Club. This shall be done within 6 months of the General Meeting and the persons named as Officers and Committee of the Club will be held responsible by the Kennel Club for the proper winding up of the Club.

b) All trophies and special awards donated to the Club, or purchased from Club funds, will be considered Club property, and as Club property, can only be held by or awarded to fully paid up Club members. When a dog is owned in partnership, all partners must be Club members. For continuity, any perpetual trophy, if won by a non-Club member, will be engraved if appropriate, with the name of the winner but will remain with Club property until next on offer.

c) All members receiving cups or trophies shall sign for them in the Club’s Cup Record Book and will be responsible for their care and safe return in time for re-presentation. Members are responsible for having any trophy won by them engraved with the name of their winner, if appropriate.

d) No cup, trophy or medal, the property of the Club, may be taken out of England, Scotland, or Wales.

e) In the event of the Club ceasing to exist, any special instructions from donors regarding disposal of trophies will be complied with where possible, providing donors have notified the Secretary of any change of address.

6. Annual General Meeting and election of Officers

a) An Annual General Meeting shall be held:

1) to receive the report of the Committee and the balance sheet;

2) to announce any elected Officers and Committee and results of special ballots if any;

3) to discuss any resolutions duly placed on the agenda of which prior notice has been given to the Honorary Secretary.

A copy of the agenda will be sent to all members. No business shall be transacted at the Annual General Meeting unless notice thereof appears on the agenda, and any resolutions shall require a simple majority of votes cast, except a resolution to amend the Rules of the Club or the Breed Standard, which shall require a two-thirds majority.

Twenty members shall form a quorum.

b) Members shall receive at least sixty days notice of the Annual General Meeting.

Nominations, and items for the agenda, must be received by the Honorary Secretary, in writing, at least forty-five days before the meeting. All proposals for an Annual General Meeting must be proposed and seconded by fully paid up members of the Club before being included on an agenda. All nominations must be accompanied by the nominee’s signature indicating willingness to serve. A profile of the nominee shall also be submitted, of no more than 400 words in length and based on the Club’s standardised application form.

No person shall be eligible for election or re-election as an Officer or Committee member unless he has been a paid-up member throughout the preceding financial year of the Club and up to the Annual General Meeting, and without having been re-admitted to membership during that period under provision of Rule 4b.

c) The election of Officers and Committee at the Annual General Meeting shall be decided by majority of returned ballots in a ballot of paid up members. Joint membership carries two votes, but Junior membership carries no vote.
Retiring Officers and Committee members will be eligible for re-election without nomination, and shall put their intention in writing to the Honorary Secretary, at least forty-five days before the meeting, in line with other applicants.

Vacancies in addition to those created by the rota system at the time of the Annual General Meeting will be filled by those nominees who receive the most votes after the candidates elected to serve the three-year term. Any replacement Officer or Committee member filling a vacancy as allowed under Rule 3f, shall then be subject to election at the next Annual General Meeting following the creation of the vacancy. If then elected they shall serve for a period equal to the unserved term of the predecessor.

In the event of a tie in any vote, the election shall be decided by the ‘drawing of lots’ by the scrutineers in front of the Annual General Meeting.

d) The Officers and Committee will be elected on a rota basis as follows:

The Honorary Secretary and Honorary Treasurer will each serve a four-year term. The Secretary will serve a four-year term from the 1988 Annual General Meeting, and the Treasurer a four-year term from the 1990 Annual General Meeting. In the event of any future vacancies, the terms of office should maintain the two-year overlap.

Ordinary Committee members will serve a three-year term, with three members retiring each year.

e) The Chairman shall be elected by the Committee immediately after each Annual General Meeting from nominations previously received from the membership.

f) A President shall be elected by a ballot of the membership at the time of the Annual General Meeting. Proposals for the office of President should come from the membership as for committee members and officers. The position falls vacant after 10 years or on the death or resignation of the previous President whichever is the sooner.

g) Proposals for Vice President shall be at the discretion of the Committee with the approval of the membership.

7. General business

a) The financial year of the Club shall be from 1 January to 31 December each year.

b) Annual returns to the Kennel Club: the Officers acknowledge that during the month of January each year Maintenance of Title fee will be forwarded to the Kennel Club by the Secretary for the continuance of registration and that by 31st July each year, other returns as stipulated in Kennel Club regulations will be forwarded to the Kennel Club. The Officers also acknowledge their duty to inform the Kennel Club of any change of Secretary of the Society which may occur during the course of the year.

c) The Rules of the Club may not be altered except at a General meeting, notice of which includes details of the proposal to alter the rules, and subject to approval by a two-thirds majority. Any alteration to the Rules shall not be brought into force until the Kennel Club has been advised and has given its approval of the alterations. New rules or amendments introduced specifically to meet Kennel Club requirements will be adopted immediately and be included in the Club’s constitution with effect from the Annual General Meeting.

d) Any alteration to the Breed Standard shall require a Ballot of Club Members, and shall require a two-thirds majority of returned votes to be passed.

e) Any request for a ballot to be held must first be approved by a two-thirds majority of those attending a General Meeting.

f) A Special General Meeting shall be summoned by the Honorary Secretary if requested by the Committee or if at least twenty Club members send a signed requisition stating the subject to be discussed at the special General Meeting. Any resolution shall require a two-thirds majority vote of those present. Twenty-five members shall form a quorum. Members shall receive fourteen days notice of a Special General Meeting.

8. Club accounts

a) A current, Deposit and/or other banking account shall be opened in the name of the Club, into which all revenue of the Club shall be paid, and from which withdrawal shall be made only on the signature of two of three designated Officers.

b) The accounts shall be kept by the Honorary Treasurer. One qualified Accountant or two unqualified individuals with accountancy experience shall be appointed by the Committee in the last quarter of each financial year. Those undertaking the certification must be independent from those who prepared the accounts. The Club’s accounts will be certified annually by the Accountant(s) for the year before the Annual General Meeting.

c) A copy of the annual statement of accounts shall be made available to members 14 days prior to the AGM. Additionally, the annual statement of accounts will be available for inspection by members at the AGM or by request at a time convenient to the Treasurer.

d) Major Club expenditure beyond the funds in hand is to be approved by General Meeting. Money allocated to the Club’s General Health Fund shall be applied only for the purposes of, or ancillary to, the clinical investigation of canine health problems unless otherwise previously authorised by a resolution passed at a General Meeting. Likewise, moneys allocated to the Club’s Rehome Fund shall be applied only for the purposes of, or ancillary to, the expenses incurred in the rehoming of Wheatens, unless otherwise previously authorised by a resolution passed at a General Meeting.

e) The object of the Club is for the benefit of its members, and it will not be classed as a trading business, so that all profits from any source, function and/or activities of the Club shall be maintained for the benefit of, and for the further education of, its members, in management, training, showing, breeding and every aspect pertaining to canines.

9. Judges list

The Club Judges List shall be drawn up in accordance with the Kennel Club’s Code of Best Practice and the Kennel Club Rules and Regulations as currently apply.

10. The Kennel Club shall be the final authority for interpreting the rules and regulations of the society in all cases relative to canine or society matters.

11. The Club shall not join any Federation of Societies or Clubs.

12. No person whilst an undischarged bankrupt may serve on the committee of or hold any other office or appointment within a Kennel Club Registered Society.