Club Rules

1) TITLE - It shall be called “The Border Collie Club of Great Britain”.

2) OBJECTS - The objects of the club are to promote and encourage the responsible breeding , working and showing of Border Collies.

3) MEMBERSHIP - Membership is open to all and persons wishing to enrol as members will, having been supplied with a copy of the Club’s Code of Ethics and Rules, automatically be regarded as having accepted such Code and Rules and agree to be bound by them.

4) THE FINANCIAL YEAR shall begin on 1 January each year and end on the last day of December of the same year. The annual subscription shall be payable each year. No member whose subscription is unpaid shall be entitled to any of the privileges of membership and the committee shall have the power to erase from the register of members any member failing to pay the annual subscription by the 1st of May next. Subscriptions of new members elected after 31 October shall be deemed to cover the remainder of the current year and all of the following year.

5) 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 Society, be found to be in breach of the Club’s adopted Code of Ethics, or in any other way be likely to damage or interfere with the interests of the Club, the committee of the Society 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 Society 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 Society 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. If any member is expelled for discreditable conduct in connection with dogs, Dog Shows, Trials or Competitions, the Society must report the matter in writing to The Kennel Club within seven days and supply any particulars required.

6) Anyone ceasing to be a member of the Club shall forfeit all right to any money he/she may have paid to the Club, whether as subscription or otherwise, and shall have no claims in respect of his/her membership on the funds or property of the Club.

7) No member shall make use of the Title of the Club for purposes of private advertisement. No member, except the Honorary Secretary acting in accordance with the authority of the committee, shall give publicity to the press in matters relating to the management or affairs of the Club, or to the proceedings at the Club meetings.

8) OFFICERS - The Club shall have the following officers who shall form the committee of management.

a) President, Chairman, Vice-Chairman, Treasurer and Secretary and a committee of twenty one.

b) The President, Chairman, Vice-Chairman, Treasurer and Secretary shall be elected annually.

c) The committee of twenty one shall continue in office until the next Annual General Meeting, when one third i.e. seven members (according to their position in the rota) shall retire, but are eligible for re-election. The rota being kept up to date by the Chairman. No member of less than six months standing will be entitled to vote for Officers and Committee at the AGM, but may vote for rule changes and other matters. All vacancies to be filled by voting at the Annual General Meeting. Notifications for Officers and 1/3 full Committee of 21, be proposed by any member of the Club provided that the nominations are notified to the Hon. Secretary in writing by 31st December, together with the name of the proposer and seconder, and the nominee’s agreement to stand. Proposers and Seconders should have been club members for at least one year prior to year of election. No member of the club shall be eligible to stand for Officer election unless he/she has served on the Committee for at least three consecutive years prior to the year of election. In the case of committee positions, nominees should have been a club member for at least one year prior to the year of election. Only in exceptional circumstances will nominations be accepted for candidates not meeting these criteria, this being at the sole discretion of the Committee. The names of all persons seeking election together with the proposer and seconder will be included in the AGM notice and circulated to all members prior to the AGM. All formal notices are sent by post except where the member has specifically agreed to accept communication of notices by email.

d) Any officer of the Club may be removed by a resolution at a Special General Meeting.

e) In the event that any officer of the Club shall be incapable of continuing in office, the committee may at any time appoint a person to fill the vacancy. The person nominated shall retain office until the next Annual General Meeting.

f) Any member of the committee who misses three consecutive meetings without a satisfactory explanation shall automatically cease to be a member of the committee.

g) 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.

9) SECRETARY - The Secretary shall attend all meetings and record accurately the Minutes of the Meeting. He/She shall give due notice of all meetings of the Club, keep all documents and papers for efficient running of the Club, render all returns laid down by The Kennel Club, and in the execution of his/her office, act under the direction of the committee of management. He/She shall have power to procure all necessary stationery on behalf of the Club. He/She shall be granted an honorarium per annum for his/her services to the Club, such figure as the committee may decide.

10) TREASURER - The Treasurer shall take charge of all monies of the Club, and shall open an account in the name of the Club with a bank approved by the committee of management. He/she shall issue a receipt to all members for their subscriptions and only if requested for any other monies received. He/she shall produce all books, documents and vouchers relating thereto and hand them over to the auditor and committee of management. He/she shall keep a suitable Cash Book authorized by the auditor and committee of management. The Club must 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. Cheques must be signed by any two of the following four officers :- President, Chairman, Treasurer or Secretary.

11) ACCOUNTS – One qualified Accountant or two unqualified individuals with accountancy experience, independent of the committee, to be elected annually, shall audit the accounts of the Club at the end of each financial year for presentation to the members at the Annual General Meeting.

12) MEETINGS

a) The Annual General Meeting of the Club shall be held in March each year, when the Secretary will submit an annual report and the Treasurer will submit the balance sheet prepared by the auditor for adoption. The certified accounts will be made available on request to members fourteen days prior to the AGM. 10 members shall form a quorum for General Meetings.

b) A Special General Meeting shall be held whenever the committee shall determine, or by requisition, in writing, of twenty five members, stating the object of the meeting. No business other than that for which it was called shall be transacted at such a meeting.

c) Committee meetings shall be held whenever necessary and seven members shall form a quorum. Notice shall be given at least seven days before any committee meeting, five weeks before the Annual General Meeting and fourteen days before a Special General Meeting.

d) Notices convening meeting s will specify the nature of the business to be transacted.

e) At all meetings the President or Chairman shall preside. In their absence the Vice-Chairman will preside. Every member shall have an equal vote and where the votes are equal the Chairman shall have a casting vote.

f) A resume of the minutes of the meetings of the committee of the Border Collie Club of Great Britain shall be published on the Club's website.

13) PROPERTY - In the event of the Club being wound up, a final statement of accounts with a record of the disposal of properties will be forwarded to The Kennel Club within six months of the date of the cessation of the Club.

14) NEW RULES - The rules of the Club shall not be altered except at an Annual General Meeting or a Special General Meeting, the notice for which contains specific proposals to amend the rules, and such alterations shall not be brought into force until the Kennel Club has been advised, and given its approval of the alterations. New Rules or amendments introduced specifically to meet Kennel Club requirements shall be adopted immediately and be included in the Society’s Constitution with effect from the Society’s annual meeting. Notice of proposition and amendment must be given to the Secretary in writing, and signed by the member or members proposing and seconding the amendment by 31 December, and the Secretary shall notify such proposed amendment to the members at least five weeks before such a meeting (see Rule 8c above).

15) 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 whether by the Secretary or by Direct Debit, for continuance of registration and that by the 31st July each year, other returns, including a list of members and their addresses, as stipulated in Kennel Club Regulations for the Registration and Maintenance of Titles of Societies and Breed Councils and Affiliation of Agricultural Societies and Municipal Authorities be forwarded to The Kennel Club The Officers also acknowledge their duty to inform The Kennel Club of any changes of Secretary of the Society which may occur during the course of the year.

16) JUDGES LIST

a) The Club shall maintain an approved list of judges.

b) The Club’s committee shall vote to select from its own current judging lists, two judges for the Club Championship Show and one or two judges for Open Breed Shows. The highest vote to have the selection of the sexes and the third highest to be the referee. Once having judged the Club Championship or Open Breed Show, then that person to be excluded from future selection to judge that sex at the Club Championship or Open Breed Shows (whichever they judged) for at least five years.

17) FEDERATION OF SOCIETIES - The Club shall not join any Federation of Societies or Clubs.

18) OFFICER POSITIONS

a) An officer of the Parent Club is not allowed to also hold an officer position on any of the Club’s Branches, or any other Border Collie Breed Club, at any one time.

b) Only one person in a family is allowed to hold an officer post of the Club any one time.

c) No one person is allowed to hold two officer posts simultaneously for the parent Club or for branches of the Club.

19) COMMITTEE - A nominated member of each branch is entitled to serve on the Parent Club’s committee and will have full voting powers. The Club’s committee to be increased from 21 members accordingly, by one post for each branch of the Club. The Committee may be assisted in the running of the shows by a smaller working party of members who have offered, and are willing to assist at shows under the direction of the Show Manager.

20) FINAL COURT OF APPEAL - The Kennel Club shall be the final court of appeal in all matters of dispute.