Rules of the club

The presentesent building was erected in 1898 through the generosity of Mrs Heyworth in memory of her two brothers (the late Messrs F W and L Savage) who had previously purchased the land on which the club stands for this purpose, but who died before the building could be erected and gave it – without endowment – to be held in trust for the use of the men of the then parish of Westbury-on-Trym for social and recreational activities subject to the conditions of the Trust.

THE WESTBURY-ON-TRYM MEN’S CLUB RULES 2023 EDITION

Designation
Aims and Objectives
Membership
Management committee
Annual general meeting
Rules
Visitors
Conduct
Hours of opening

1 Designation

1a The name of the Club shall be “The Westbury-on-Trym Men’s Club”

1b The ownership of the freehold land and premises comprising of 2 Stoke Lane, Westbury on Trym, Bristol shall be vested absolutely in the Trustees of the Club.

1c The Trustees shall be seven in number being members of the Club. The power of appointment of new Trustees is vested solely in the Members of the Club, by way of nomination and election.

1d The Trustees and Management Committee shall be indemnified against risk and expense out of the Club property.

2 Aims and Objectives

2a The object of the Club is to promote social intercourse and to provide opportunities for mutual improvement and amusement.

2b The Club shall not be used for propagation of sectarian or political matters.

3 Membership

3a (i) Membership of the Club shall be open to men over the age of eighteen years who are local residents.

3a (ii) Membership of the Club may also be open to men over the age of eighteen years who are not local residents.

3b Local Residency defined in the deed of trust (1902) as being the main parish of Westbury on Trym.

3c (i) Candidates for membership of the Club shall be proposed and seconded by any two Members who shall have had a minimum of twelve months membership, and shall have known their nominee for an equal minimum period.

3c (ii) When vacancies occur, proposed candidates may be granted a six weeks provisional membership, during which time their names and addresses together with that of their proposer and seconder must be displayed within the Club for the information of all the Members. On completion of the period of provisional membership, the Management Committee shall have complete responsibility for granting or rejecting full membership.

3c (iii) Any proposed Member refused membership will not be entitled to enter the Club as a guest.

3c (iv) Any new person wanting to join, but is not known by any Club Member for the prescribed period, may be admitted at the discretion of the Committee on a probation period of six months after completing their six week provisional membership. During this time the Committee has the power to withdraw his membership at any time.

3d Any Member wishing to resign shall notify the Hon Secretary in writing. Any Member ceasing to be a Member of the Club shall forfeit all rights to and claims on the Club.

3e (i) Members may nominate friends as Members for a short period ( up to six weeks in any one year) provided that the procedure for nomination and acceptance is the same as for a full Member. (in accordance with rule 3c(i) & 3c(ii)

3e (ii) These Members will have the same personal privileges as full ordinary Members except those of taking part in the business of the Club and of introducing strangers.

3e (iii) A charge as fixed by the Management Committee or the maximum of six weeks in any one financial year will be payable during such period if temporary membership.

3f (i) The Club may appoint Members who have rendered signal service to the Club as Honorary Life Members.

3f (ii) Members who reach the age of 90 having been a continuous Member for more than ten years, or Members who have completed fifty years of unbroken membership, shall be classed as Honorary Members.

3g A candidate admitted to full membership by virtue of rule 3c(ii), or granted provisional membership awaiting admission to full membership under rule 3cii, or nominated by a friend as a temporary Member under rule 3e(i), SHALL NOT partake of any of the rights and privileges of membership without an interval of two days between being granted full or temporary membership and being admitted to the rights and privileges of such membership.

3h (i) The Annual subscription shall be fixed yearly by the Management Committee to take effect from the first of January of the following year. No subscription increase in excess of twenty five per cent shall be made without submission to the Club membership at a Special General Meeting or the Annual General Meeting.

3h (ii) Subscriptions are due on the first of January each year and any Member who shall not have paid in full by the 31st January shall be deemed to have forfeited his membership. A period of twenty eight days from the first of February is available during which time lapsed memberships from the previous year only may be renewed, providing that a re-joining fee and subscription is paid.

3h (iii) New Members shall pay a joining fee which will be fixed annually by the Management Committee.

3h (iv) The joining fee and annual subscription payable by full time students shall be 25% of the respective amounts as fixed annually by the Committee.

3i All temporary and provisional Members shall be required to sign-in each time they visit the club during their six week period of such membership.

3j A member who has concerns about a provisional member of the club, should immediately inform the Hon Secretary so that their concerns can be raised with the committee.

4 Management Committee

4a (i) The Management of the Club shall be undertaken by a Committee of seven elected Members, together with the Hon Secretary and the Hon Treasurer. The Committee Chairman shall be elected by the Committee.

4a (ii) The Chairman shall be entitled to vote on matters raised in Committee and in the event of the number of votes for and against any proposal being equal, he shall have a second, or casting vote.

4b The Committee shall meet on a regular monthly basis on the last Wednesday of each month and or at such times as considered expedient in the interest of the Club.

4c (i) Five Committee Members shall form a quorum at properly convened meetings.

4c (ii) In the event of the Chairman being absent at the time of a Committee meeting, or being unwilling to preside, the Committee members in attendance shall elect one of their number to chair the meeting.

4d (i) The Hon Treasurer shall chair the first Committee meeting following each AGM, up to the point where the new Committee Chairman is elected. Following his election the Chairman’s first duty shall be the election of the Hon Secretary.

4d (ii) The Committee shall elect the Hon Secretary who may be paid an honorarium which will be agreed annually by the Committee.

4d (iii) The Hon Secretary shall only be entitled to vote at Committee meetings if he is an elected member of the Committee.

4e The Committee may award an honorarium to the Hon Treasurer.

4f The Committee may when necessary appoint Sub-Committees consisting of at least two Committee Members to delegate control of specific Club activities, and such Sub-Committee shall report to the Committee at the regular meetings, who shall have the final responsibility for its decisions.

4g The Committee shall have the power to co-opt another Member in place of any Member who leave the Committee during their year of office, or to fill any vacancy resulting from fewer than seven members standing for office at the previous AGM.

4h The Committee shall have the power to make such By-Laws (to be printed and exhibited in the Club) as they may think expedient for the general management and good of the Club.

4i Any by-law enacted by the Management Committee if required, shall be ratified by the Members at the following AGM for inclusion in the rules or otherwise be deemed to have lapsed with the dissolution of the Committee at the end of their twelve months term in office.

4j The Management Committee shall ensure that the insurance policies are put in place annually to indemnify the Trustees and the Members of the Management Committee against liabilities that may be incurred by them in carrying out the business of the Club.

4k The Committee is empowered to spend the sum of £10,000 per annum without reference to the Members at a Special General Meeting for the improvement to the Club.

4l The Committee shall not dispose of any Club asset with a market value of more than £10,000 without reference to the Members at a Special General Meeting.

4m Any Member who wishes to become a Committee Member must have had at least three full year’s membership before being proposed.

5 Annual General Meeting

5a The Annual General Meeting shall be held in the Club on the penultimate Friday in March providing it does not fall on Good Friday.

5b The accounts of the Club shall be certified annually by a fully qualified accountant appointed at the Annual General Meeting and a statement of the accounts for the preceding year shall be presented to the Members.

5c The Management Committee and Hon Treasurer for the ensuing year shall be elected and a Member is entitled to vote for any number of Members properly nominated and seconded up to a maximum of Seven Candidates for Committee Membership.

5d The President and Vice President shall be nominated by the Management Committee from names submitted by Members of the Club.

5e The office of President of the Club shall not be held by the same person two years in succession and not more than three times in a lifetime.

5f The President shall not during his year in office be a Member of the Management Committee.

5g A Special General Meeting must be convened at any time by the Hon secretary on application in writing from twenty of the Members.

5h The Management Committee is empowered to call a Special General Meeting at any time upon giving seven days’ notice to Members.

6 Rules

6a That no alteration be made to these rules except at the Annual General Meeting or at a Special General Meeting convened for that purpose where a majority vote of two thirds of the membership present at such meeting is required to carry the Rule change.

6b Notice of any amendment or alteration of the Rules of the Club, together with the names of the Members proposing and seconding any such amendment or alteration, shall be given in writing to the Hon Secretary twenty eight days at least before the Annual General Meeting or Special General Meeting at which such amendment or alteration is to be brought forward. Any Special General Meeting called to alter these Rules shall be called by written notice and the suggested amendment or alteration to any existing Rule must be sent with the written notice calling such Special General Meeting.

6c A copy of these rules shall be available to all Members.

6d A book shall be placed in a prominent position for Member’s suggestions or complaints which will be opened on the night of each Committee Meeting for any such suggestions or complaints to be considered. The Committee’s decision on these matters will be final.

6e A summary of the minutes of each Committee Meeting or any Special General Meeting or Annual General Meeting shall be placed on the notice board within seven days of such a meeting taking place.

7 Visitors

7a Generally

7a (i) Members shall have the privilege of introducing gentlemen to the Club for any one day. The names and addresses of all such Visitors, together with the name of the Member introducing and the date must be entered in the book kept for that purpose. There shall be no restriction on the number of times a Visitor may be admitted to the Club, but on every occasion the visitor’s host shall pay such nominal charge as set from time to time by the Committee.

7a (ii) The Committee or the Official in charge of the Club for the time being shall have the right of refusing admission to any Visitor without giving any reason for such refusal. Visitors may not order or pay for refreshments and will not be permitted to play the gaming machines and they must not remain in the Club after the introducing Member has left.

7a (iii) On Special Occasions the Committee is empowered to admit ladies to the Club.

7b Visiting Clubs

7b (i) Members of Visiting Clubs shall be made guests of the Club for the day on which they are engaged in playing games on the premises and they shall have all the personal privileges of ordinary Members ( except as specified in rule 3e(ii) without payment of a fee.)

8 Conduct

8a Whenever practicable a Member of the Committee shall be present during bar opening hours who shall have charge of and control of the Club.

8b The question of games shall be regulated by the Committee, namely billiards, snooker, cards etc. subject to special rules governing the games.

8c Any person wilfully damaging or destroying any article belonging or lent to the Club shall be liable to pay the full value of such damage. No Club property shall be taken away.

8d (i) Members shall not conduct themselves in an ungentlemanly manner, use improper or offensive language, gamble unlawfully, or conduct themselves or behave in such a manner so as to cause annoyance to other Members or injury to the Club.

8d (ii) Any Member in breach of this rule may be suspended by two Members of the Management Committee and that Member shall thereupon withdraw from the Club forthwith.

8d (iii) The suspension shall then be reported at the next meeting of the Management Committee which may suspend the Member for a period of six weeks including the period of initial suspension. If in the Committee’s opinion the gravity of the breach is such that the Member should be expelled from the Club, the Member so expelled shall have the right of appeal as set out in rule 8d(iv).

8d (iv) Any Member who in the opinion of the Committee shall be expelled, will be notified of the Committee’s decision in writing to the Member's last known address and invited to resign or withdraw his membership from the club within four days and in default of such resignation or withdrawal submit the question of his expulsion to the next meeting to be held within six weeks of the letter of expulsion. At such meeting the Member shall be allowed to offer an explanation of his conduct verbally or in writing and shall then withdraw from the Club, and the Committee shall then by simple majority vote either to ratify or rescind the expulsion and advise the Member of its decision in writing within four days.

8e A standard of dress code will be displayed in a prominent position within the Club for the attention of and compliance by all Members and Guests.

8f Members will be allowed to bring in their own food for consumption, except when food is provided for sale on special occasions such as sporting events. This will be arranged by the committee.

9 Hours of business

9a The hours of opening and closing the Club will be:

Monday to Saturday 11.00am to 11.30pm

Sunday and Good Friday 11.50am to 11.00pm

The Club is closed on Christmas Day

The committee shall have the power to decide whether the Club opens on Boxing Day and, if so, the opening times, except during such period, if any, when the Committee shall decide that the Club should remain open for the live showing on television of a major sporting event and the licensing justices have granted a variation to the permitted hours for that purpose.

9b The bar will be open within the licensing hours in pursuance of the Licensing Act 1988 and subsequent amendments as follows:

Monday to Saturday 11.00am to 11.00pm

Sundays 12.00 noon to 10.30pm

An amendment at the AGM in 2006 empowered the Committee to open the bar until 11.30pm as required.