Related links

Rules of the Society

Rules of the British National Carnation Society Revised February 1995

Title

The title of the Society shall be the British National Carnation Society.

Objects

The objects of the Society shall be to further the culture and improvement of Carnations and all other Dianthus and allied plants, in whatever manner the Council shall think fit.

Membership

The Society shall consist of members who shall pay a yearly subscription, the amount to be determined at the Annual General Meeting for the next year following the one in which the meeting is held, and tickets for the society’s shows shall be allotted on the basis of two for every complete subscription (husband/wife joint subscription, four tickets). Members residing overseas (excluding Northern Ireland and the Channel Islands) will pay an additional sum to cover postage. The Council may without assigning any reason, refuse to accept any person as a member, and in such case any sum paid by such person in consideration of membership shall be returned.

Annual Subscription, Cessation of Membership.

Subscriptions become due on joining the Society and thereafter on the 1st of January in each year. Membership is continuous, and unless written notice of resignation is received by the Secretary not later than the 31 st of December in any year, a member shall be liable for his subscription for the following year. The Council may remove a person from membership of the Society and may appoint a committee for the purpose of enquiring into any allegation concerning a member. Such committee shall determine its own procedure and accept such evidence as it thinks fit, but shall not recommend the removal of a member without considering any representation such member may wish to make, and shall give him not less than ten days notice in writing of the time and place of a committee meeting at which any representations he may wish to make will be considered; such notice shall state briefly the nature of any allegations concerning such member. The Council may act on the recommendation of the committee without hearing the member further.

Unpaid Subscriptions

The names of all members whose subscriptions remain unpaid on 1st March next after thy have become due, shall be reported to the Council at its next meeting, and such members shall thereafter be excluded from membership unless the Council shall detatmine otherwise.

Honorary Members

The Council may for special reasons wholly or partly remit or waive the payment of any subscription or other sum due to the society in any case and subject to any conditions they may think fit.The Council may admit any person as an honorary member for such period and subject to such conditions as they fit.

Affiliation

Horticultural Societies may become affiliated to the Society on payment of a subscription, the rate of which to be determined as laid down in section 3 of these rules. The Council may allot to any horticultural society an award to be given at its own show to carnations, the allotment of such award shall be on such terms as the Council may from time to time decide.

Officers

The Officers of the Society shall be a President, a Chairman, a Vice-Chairman, a Treasurer, a Secretary, an Hon. Show Secretary, an Editor and Floral Art Secretary The Officers of the Society (except the Chairman and Vice-Chairman who shall be elected by the Council) shall be elected at the Annual General Meeting and they shall hold office until the conclusion of the Annual General Meeting next, following their election If any officer shall resign, or for any other reason be unable or unwilling to act, the Council may appoint an interim holder of the office until the next Annual General Meeting or such shorter period as they shall think fit. All retiring officers of the Society may be re-elected, but the retiring President shall not be re-elected as President until not less than one year shall have elapsed from his ceasing to hold office, unless the Annual General Meeting by special resolution shall decide otherwise. For the purpose of this rule the period between two Annual General Meetings shall be deemed to be one year.

Vice Presidents

Vice-Presidents shall be re-elected at the Annual General Meeting.

Council

The general management of the Society shall be carried out by a Council consisting of the Officers of the Society and up to thirteen Council members The Council members shall be elected at the Annual General Meeting and will be eligible for re-election. Any member of the Council who attends no Council Meetings during the course of the year shall be deemed to have resigned and will not be eligible for re-election the following year. The Council shall have power at any time to co-opt as members thereof any member or members of the society in addition to the above whom they in their discretion shall think fit. Such co-opted members shall have all the powers of an elected member and shall hold office until the next Annual General Meeting or such shorter period as the Council shall determine

Council Meetings

The Chairman, or in his absence the Vice-Chairman, shall preside over all Council meetings. If neither of the officers be present, the members present shall elect a Chairman The quorum shall be six. Subject to the provisions of these rules the Chairman shall have absolute discretion on all points of order and procedure and construction of the rules and all similar points, but his decision shall not bind any successor If votes be equal on any
occasion the Chairman shall have a second or casting vote. For the purpose of this rule the member actually in the chair shall have all the powers of the Chairman at the meeting over which he presides

Committees

The Council may appoint committees to consider and report on any matter.and members of such committees need not necessarily be members of the Council. Unless otherwise decided by the Council,all committees shall elect their own Chairman and have power to co-opt The Council may alter the membership of any committee at any time.and no committee shall have power to act on behalf of the Society unless expressly authorised to do so by the Council and such authorisation is duly noted in the minutes of the Council.

Annual General Meeting.

The Annual General Meeting of the Society, of which at least seven day’s notice shall be given to all members, shall be held before the end of February in each year to receive the report of the Council, to pass the accounts, to elect the officers (except Chairman and Vice-Chairman) and Council for the ensuing year, and for the transaction of such other business as the Council may decide. Any member may raise at the Annual General Meeting any matter of which due notice in writing shall have been received by the Secretary not later than the 31st December next before the meeting and all nominations of officers and Council members shall be in writing signed by two members of the Society and shall be in the hands of the secretary not later than that date

Extraordinary General Meeting

An Extraordinary General Meeting of the Society shall be called within one calendar month upon receipt by the secretary of a requisition in writing signed by not less than fifteen members stating the purpose for which such meeting is desired and giving full particulars of any resolution which it is desired to propose thereat. The Secretary shall give to all members not less than seven days notice of the meeting ?nd shall specify the purpose for which it is called No business shall be transacted at such meeting other than that specified in the notice, and no amendment to any resolution proposed at the meeting shall be allowed without the permission of the Chairman of the meeting who will be nominated by the Council.

Notices

Any notice required by these rules to be given to the Society by any member shall be deemed to have been duly given three days after the posting thereof by ordinary prepaid post to the address of such member as recorded in the Society’s books. The accidental omission to give notice of any meeting to any of the members shall not invalidate any resolution passed at that meeting.

Alteration of Rules

No alteration of these rules shall be made except at a General Meeting of the Society. Notice of intention to propose any alteration of these rules at the Annual General Meeting must be received by the Secretary not later than 31st December next before the meeting. No alteration shall be deemed to have been passed unless supported by not less than two-thirds of the members present and voting, and no amendment to any proposed alteration shall be allowed without the permission of the Chairman.