THE
ROYAL AIR FORCE HALTON
AIRCRAFT
APPRENTICES
ASSOCIATION
CONSTITUTION
2009
Registered under
the Charities Act 1993
(Reg No 292523)
This Constitution
further amends and replaces the original Constitution adopted on
All previous
editions of the Constitution should be destroyed.
The Royal Air
Force Halton (Aircraft) Apprentices Association
The
Royal Air Force Halton Aircraft Apprentices Association was formed on
The
formation of the Association followed many requests by those who had served an
Aircraft Apprenticeship at RAF Halton that efforts should be made to reactivate
the Old Haltonian Association founded by Lieutenant Colonel AFC Caldwell in
1925.
At the
first General Meeting of Members held on
At a
Meeting of the Council of the Association on
Further
revisions to the Constitution were approved by the Annual General Meeting of
Members on
In May
2001, the Charity Commission advised that those latest changes needed to be
supported by a Scheme. That Scheme was endorsed by the Annual General Meeting
of Members on
CONSTITUTION
Title
1.
The
name of the Association shall be “THE ROYAL AIR FORCE HALTON AIRCRAFT
APPRENTICES ASSOCIATION” or such other name as the Association by resolution
passed at a General Meeting shall from time to time decide, which name shall
appear on all documents issued by for or on behalf of the Association.
Definitions
2.
In
this Constitution, the expression “the School” refers to the “No 1 School of
Technical Training RAF Halton” and shall include the four courses of technical
training held for Boy Mechanics at Halton, Cranwell
and Flowerdown prior to the establishment of the said
School
Objects
3A. The objects of the
Association are:
(1). The relief
and assistance of past apprentice members of RAF Halton and their
dependants who
are in need by reason of poverty, disability, sickness, infirmity or
otherwise;
and
(2). To promote
the efficiency of the Royal Air Force and the Royal Navy by
maintaining
contact between past members of the former
RAF Halton and serving members of RAF Halton
and No 1 School of Technical
Training, wheresoever that may be located.
3B. In furtherance of
the objects but not otherwise the Association through its Council may exercise
the following powers:
(a) To foster esprit de corps,
comradeship and the welfare of those who attended the School by maintaining
contact and by providing a venue for reunions;
(b)
To
publicise and disseminate information concerning the history, deeds and
traditions of the School;
(c)
To
provide facilities at the National Memorial Arboretum, Alrewas,
Staffs, and at the
(d)
To
execute and administer charitable gifts;
(e)
To
receive, take and accept any gifts or property whether subject to any special
trusts or not;
(f)
To
receive and accept any contributions by way of subscriptions, donations or
otherwise;
(g)
To
assist distressed and needy past Apprentices and their dependants by way of
grants, gifts, advice, referral to relevant charities or otherwise;
(h)
To
make donations in furtherance of the objects of the Association;
(i)
To
purchase, take, lease or exchange property required for the purposes of the
Association and subject to compliance with section 36 of the Charities Act 1993
to lease, exchange or otherwise dispose of the same;
(j)
To
borrow or raise money for the purposes of the Association on such terms and
subject to compliance with section 38 of the Charities Act 1993, such security
as may be thought fit;
(k)
To
invest the funds and property of the Association for use in promoting the
Objects of the Association in such investments as may from time to time be
authorised by law;
(l)
To
accumulate funds for the Association for such period as may from time to time
be authorised by law;
(m)
To
do all such things as may further the said Objects.
Membership
4. Member
Open
to Royal Air Force Apprentices, Royal Navy Artificer Apprentices (Air), and
Apprentices sponsored by Foreign and Commonwealth governments who underwent
part or all of their training at No 1 School of Technical Training, RAF Halton.
Associate
Member
Open to Instructors
and Staff who were directly involved in the training of Apprentices at No 1
School of Technical Training, RAF Halton
Management
5. The Association will be
managed by the Council. The elected Members of the Council are the trustees of
the Association. Elected Members of the Council will be elected at each Annual
General meeting, all of whom, except the Chairman, are to retire each year and
who may then seek re-election at the next Annual General Meeting. Elected
Members of the Council will further be appointed by the Membership of the
Association in Annual General Meeting to hold the offices of Deputy Chairman,
General Secretary, Office Manager, Membership Secretary, Editor of ‘The
Haltonian’, Treasurer, Welfare Co-ordinator, and any other offices deemed
necessary. The holder of the post of Chairman is to be elected to serve for a
period of three years after which he may seek re-election.
6.
The
elected Members of the Council as the trustees of the Association are
responsible for ensuring that the Association is managed in accordance with the
Charities Act 1993.
7.
Senior
members of the Association may be invited to become Patron or Vice-Patron of
the Association. Past Presidents of the Association may be invited to become
Vice-Presidents and Members of the Association who, in the view of the Council,
have given particularly valued and prolonged service to the Association may be
invited by the Council to become Honorary Vice-Presidents of the Association.
The Patron, Vice-Patron and Honorary Vice-Presidents will be honorary members
of the Council. They will not be entitled to vote at Council meetings and will
not be trustees of the Association.
8.
Detailed
instructions for the efficient running of the Association are to be issued by
the Council by way of Schedules hereto. The Schedules may be amended from time
to time as required, and are to be approved at an Annual General Meeting. No
such instruction, or any regulation arising therefrom,
is to countermand anything in the Constitution of the
Association, nor is any such instruction or regulation to remain in force if a
proposal to abolish it is carried at an Annual General Meeting.
9.
Members
of the Council are to nominate from among their members at the first Council
Meeting after the Annual General Meeting a Committee to deal with finance, the
administration of welfare, and other matters as further set out in the
Schedules. The Committee is to be known as the Finance and General Purpose
Committee. The F & GP is to be chaired by the Association Chairman.
Membership is to include a minimum of 3 from the Deputy Chairman, General
Secretary, Office Manager, Treasurer, Welfare Co-ordinator, together with any
other member deemed necessary. The Council is to determine F & GP spending
limits, which are to be reviewed annually.
10.
The
Council may from time to time co-opt additional Association Members to serve on
Council to fill offices which may become vacant, until the next Annual General
Meeting of Members. Co-opted Members of the Council will be entitled to vote at
Council meetings and will be trustees of the Association.
Financial
11. The Council is to submit to
the Charity Commission for
12.
The
Council is to produce to each Member not less than twenty-one days before the
date of the Annual General Meeting a financial statement of the activities of
the Association for the year and a balance sheet at the accounting date.
Amendment of
Constitution
13. This Constitution other than
Clause 3A (the Objects of the Association), Clause 16 (winding up the
Association) and this clause may be amended at any time by a resolution passed
by a two thirds majority of Members of the Association present at a meeting
convened for that purpose and of which notice has been served upon every Member
of the Association at his last known address. No amendment shall be made at any
time which would cause the Association to cease to be a charity at law.
14. If the Council is of the
opinion that through reduction in Membership or for any other reason it has
become impracticable for the Association to remain in being, a motion to this
effect is to be communicated to all Association Members and, if no objections
to the contrary are received, the Association is to be wound up three months
thereafter.
15. If objections are received
which cannot be resolved, a motion is to be submitted to an Extraordinary
General meeting convened for that purpose.
16. On winding up the
Association, the balance of the Association funds after payment of all
outstanding accounts is to be transferred to the RAF Halton Charities Account
or, failing that, to the Royal Air Force Benevolent Fund.
SCHEDULES
Schedule A
– Finance
A1. The Council is to cause proper books of
accounts to be kept with respect to the following:
(a) All monies received and
expended by the Council and the matters in respect of which the receipt and
expenditure takes place;
(b) All sales and purchases of
goods by the Council:
(c) The assets and liabilities
of the Council.
A2. Subscriptions may be levied annually,
triennially or by single payment for life in such
sums as the Members in general
meeting may decide. Under appropriate circumstances members may apply for
Benevolent Membership, and their subscriptions will be waived; the Welfare
Co-ordinator will normally be responsible for recommending Benevolent
membership. Sums thus raised may be
held in a
fund to be known as the General Fund. Donations may be accepted for
specific
projects, specific funds or the General Fund. Trading items such as ties,
badges,
memorabilia etc may be purchased and resold for profit, such trading being
authorised by
and controlled by the Council and such trading profit will become part
of the General
Fund.
A3. The Council may make money available to the
Association for the Objects thereof
and may apply
the same in such ways as the Council may decide.
A4. Association funds shall be invested in
interest-bearing deposit accounts approved by
the Council
as Trustees of those funds. Such investments shall generally be
restricted to
Building Societies, Local Authority Bonds, Government Bonds and
Banks registered under the Banks Act
1980 or subsequent legislation, or other low
risk
investments as recommended by a qualified Independent Financial Advisor.
Interest so earned will be directed by
the Council but an obligation is
placed on the
Council hereby that the purchasing power of the General Fund when
eroded by
inflation is to have first call on the interest and thereafter it may be used
for the
Objects of the Association which may include payments to churches,
hospitals,
charities, retirement homes and the like but without limit to these for
application
for the charitable purposes thereof.
Schedule B – Branches
B1. Branches may be formed within the Association
covering both geographical areas
worldwide, and
of Members who trained together in numbered entries. Branches may
hold regular
meetings and arrange social events and inter-branch functions.
Branches may be invited to nominate a
representative to observe meetings of the
Council of the Association. The cost of contacting members
with a view to the formation of a Branch may be met out of the Association
General Fund.
B2.
The Association will distribute periodically a newsletter to Members which
details
Association and branch
business and news.
Schedule C – Support
Activities
C1.
The Association will maintain its close ties with Royal Air Force Halton and
the No 1
School of Technical Training, wheresoever that may be located.
C2. The Association will provide assistance and
funds in support of The Haltonian
magazine.
C3.
The Association will provide support to the Golden Oldies Pipe Band.
Schedule D – Finance and
General Purposes Committee
D1. The Finance and General Purposes Committee is
to report and make
recommendations
to the Council at each Council meeting on the following:
a. Investment policy
b. Finance
c. Disbursement of funds
d. Administration of projects
e. Compliance with statutory
regulations
f. Grants in furtherance of the
objects
D2. The Committee may act on behalf of the
Council in disbursement of funds as
instructed by
the Council.
Schedule E – Meetings
E1. The Association is to conduct its business
through orderly meetings of the following
three types:
a. General Meetings
b. Council Meetings
c. Committee Meetings
In all voting a simple majority is to
suffice, but in the event of an even vote, the
Chairman will have a casting vote.
E2. There are to be two types of General Meetings
within the rules:
a. Annual General Meetings are
to take place not later than 30th September in each year. A notice
calling the Meeting and containing an agenda and a financial statement and
balance sheet is to be sent to all Members not less than 21 days before the
date of the Meeting. The form of the agenda shall be at the discretion of the
Council but must include the Minutes of the previous AGM, a report on the
previous years activities from the Chairman,
Membership Secretary and Treasurer, and presentation of the Accounts. Provision
is also to be made for the resignation of officers and the election of new
officers. Members may petition the Council by post for matters to be included
in the Meeting.
b. Extraordinary Meetings may
be called by the Council or by petition from 25 members. A Notice of such Meeting,
together with the agenda, is to be sent to all members giving 21 days notice of
the Meeting.
E3. Council meetings are to take place not less
frequently than quarterly and are to be
called by the
General Secretary giving not less than 21 days notice. The agenda and
conduct of the
Meetings are at the discretion of the Council.
E4. Committees of the Council are to meet as
often as the members of each committee
require and
when instructed to meet by the Council.
E5. A quorum for a General Meeting is to comprise
not less than three Council members
and not less than fifty
ordinary members. Members unable to attend a General Meeting may authorise the
Chairman to vote on their behalf on specified proposals that may be put to the
meeting. A quorum for a Council Meeting is to be
seven, to
include the Chairman or, him failing, Deputy Chairman and the General
Secretary or, him
failing, Treasurer. A quorum for a meeting of a committee is to be
not less than
half the committee membership plus one.
Schedule F – Communication
F1. With
regard to communication with Association Members, where possible full use
should be made of electronic means such as the internet and e-mail. For
key documents intended for the entire membership, such as the AGM Agenda,
advance notice must be given via newsletter or ‘The Haltonian’, to allow
members the opportunity to request a paper copy of the document.