Constitution

1.Title

The Association shall be called the Meridian Beekeepers’ Association hereinafter referred to as the MBA or the Association.

2. Objective

a. The Objectives of the MBA are to promote and encourage the craft of beekeeping in the community by means of education, information and co-operation.

b. To encourage and foster the highest standards of beekeeping, the best standards of honey, healthy bees and with disease and swarm control.

c. To encourage the young to take up the craft and offer assistance to all new beekeepers.

d. To encourage members to increase their knowledge by studying and taking BBKA Examinations.

3. Relationships

The Association is affiliated to the http://hampshirebeekeepers.org.uk (Hampshire Beekeepers’ Association) and the https://www.bbka.org.uk (British Beekeepers’ Association). All rules of the HBA and the BBKA shall be observed by members of Meridian.

4. Membership

Membership of the MBA is open to any person willing to accept the rules of the association and whose membership is approved by the Management Committee.

The classes of membership shall be:

4.1 Full Members (registered)

4.2 Partner Members

4.2 Associate

4.3 Honorary Member

4.4 Junior Member

4.5 Corporate Member

Full members have the right to speak and vote at any meeting and to attend any general meetings. They can only attend a committee meeting at the invitation of the committee. A member need not be a current beekeeper.

Partner members are those who live in the same house as the ordinary member and who might look after the bees in the absence of the full member or have bees of their own.

Associates – Beekeepers who are full members of another association can be registered as Associates of MBA. Members of the family of an MBA ordinary Member are entitled to become associates of MBA (Family). Non-beekeepers who wish to become associates may do so, on the understanding that if and when they acquire a stock of bees they apply for Ordinary membership. Associates may speak at any formal meetings but cannot vote. Corporate members are individual members or Businesses/Other Associations who are keen to support the association and research.

Honorary Membership – This may be awarded for conspicuous service to the association. The recipient has free membership together with all the rights and privileges of Ordinary Membership. The Association will be responsible for paying their capitation to BBKA.

Junior Members are any person who is still in full-time education and/or is under 18 on 31st December preceding the year of membership, has no more than two hives and pays the required capitation to the Association for sending on to BBKA through the Treasurer of MBA.

5. Subscriptions

The annual subscription for the following year will be fixed at the AGM which takes place in February. Every member will be insured through Bee Disease Insurance within the limits of that insurance.

6. Management

The Management of the Association will be vested in the following Officers:

6.1 The Chairman

6.2 up to 6 elected committee from the membership

6.3 The Secretary

6.4 The Treasurer

6.5 The Membership Secretary

All the Officers of the Association will be elected at the Annual General Meeting. No person whilst an undischarged bankrupt may serve on the committee or hold any other office or appointment within the association.

The Committee has the power to co-opt additional members for special purposes.

The membership is able to pass a vote of no confidence in the Committee by calling a Special General Meeting with at least 65% of the membership present.

A simple majority is sufficient. The Secretary and Treasurer would remain until the new committee had been elected.

Your committee

7. Annual General Meeting

The Annual General Meeting will be convened in February or March each year. Business will consist of the following:

7.1 Reports from the Chairman, Secretary and the audited accounts from the Treasurer

7.2 Report from the HBA Delegate

7.3 Election of Officers and committee members for the following year.

7.4 Changes to Rules of Association notified to members 6 weeks in advance.

7.5 Appointment of Auditor

7.6 Any items agreed by the Chairman and notified to the membership on the Agenda at least one week in advance of the meeting. All members are entitled to address the meeting through the chair.

8. Alteration to the rules of the Association

A proposal by any member to alter the rules of the Association must be with the Secretary at least 8 weeks before the AGM so that the Management Committee can be informed. The proposed amendment will then go on the MBA website or be posted as required at least 6 weeks before the AGM. Discussion will take place at the AGM and a decision decided by a vote.

9. Quorum

A quorum will be a minimum of 4 (four) of the elected members of the committee, A quorum for the AGM will be no less than two fifths of the current Ordinary Members.

10. Monthly meetings

The Secretary in conjunction with the management committee will arrange regular meetings to be held indoors from October until April and in members’ apiaries throughout the rest of the year. Lectures will be presented on aspects of beekeeping.

11. Website

The webmaster shall at the request of the secretary and management committee keep an up-to-date MBA website.  This shall be the main source of information for all members and non-members to include, but not limited to, items for sale, regular meeting times and venues, information from other associations, articles of interest local, national and international and announcements and information for members.

12. Extra-ordinary general meetings – The association shall hold an extra-ordinary general meeting at the request of five ordinary members of the Association or at the request of the Management Committee. The nature of the business to be discussed must accompany any such request. No other business will be discussed. Two week notice of the meeting must be given to members.

13. Enrolment

Applications for enrolment in the MBA are to be made to the Membership Secretary on the appropriate form and be accompanied by the appropriate membership fee.

14. Termination of membership

Any member giving notice of resignation or being in arrears on 28 February in any year will be deemed to have resigned and the Membership Secretary will remove his/her name from the register of members.

15.Voting rights

Only current ordinary members may vote. Voting at all meetings will be by a show of hands. Tellers will be nominated by the Chairman should the need arise. The Chairman will have a casting vote if a tie is declared.

16. Notice of meetings

Not less than seven days notice in writing shall be given for the Annual General Meeting and not less than seven days notice for any Extra-ordinary General meeting. Committee members shall be given a calling notice for a committee meeting at least seven days in advance.

All details of regular meetings and the AGM are published in the MBA Handbook and on the website.

17. Finance

The Treasurer is responsible for all the financial transactions of the Association. There are to be two signatories on all cheques, one must always be the Treasurer and the other can be an elected member of the management committee. The financial year will run from 1st January to 31st December. The Treasurer is responsible for presenting the audited accounts at the Annual General Meeting.

18. Bee Disease Insurance

All members who hold a stock of bees must pay annually the BDI premiums. The premiums will be collected by the Treasurer with the payment of the subscription for the minimum number of hives. Additional premiums can be paid up to a maximum of 40 hives. The cost of additional premiums will appear on the enrolment form.

19. Winding-up

A proposal for the winding up of the MBA must be put to an Extra-Ordinary General Meeting of the membership. To be effective such a proposal must be carried by a minimum of 75% of Ordinary members present and written proxy votes. If upon winding up of the MBA there remains after the satisfaction of all debts and liabilities any property or funds these are to be transferred to HBA for use by the Executive in any way they see to benefit beekeeping in the County.