Ansty Village Hall Constitution

Registered Charity No 301139

The constitution of the Old Brewery Hall defined with the Deed of Lease Agreement of 24th July 1947.

1. The property hereby demised (herein called the Trust Premises) shall be held upon trust for the purposes of physical and mental training and recreation and social, moral and intellectual development, through the medium of reading and recreation rooms, library, lectures, classes, recreations and entertainments or otherwise as may be found expedient for the benefit of the inhabitants of the Parishes of Hilton and Melcombe Horsey in the County of Dorset and their immediate vicinity, without distinction of sex or of political, religious or other opinions subject to the provisions of those present.

2. The general management and control of the Trust Premises and the arrangements for their use shall be vested in a Committee of Management (hereinafter called “the Committee“) consisting of not more than ten members (exclusive of Members co-opted under the power hereinafter contained) of whom two shall be elected at the first general meeting referred to in clause (3) hereof in the first instance and on each subsequent election of Members at the Annual General Meeting. The Organisations mentioned in the second column of the Second Schedule hereto shall each have the right to appoint one member of the Committee both in the first instance and on the occasion of each Annual Appointment of members. The persons whose names appear in the first column of the Second Schedule hereto have been appointed by the Organisations mentioned opposite their respective names in the second column of that Schedule and shall together with the members elected at the first General Meeting as aforesaid be the first Members of the Committee. In addition to the Members of the Committee appointed or elected the Committee shall have the power to co-opt not more than three Members to represent interests in the said Parishes not represented by any organisation.

3. There shall be an Annual General Meeting to be convened by the Committee in the month of March in each year the first of such meetings to be convened in1948 by one week's notice to be affixed to some conspicuous part of the Trust Premises or other conspicuous place in the said Parishes of the inhabitants of the age of eighteen years or upwards of either sex of the Parishes of Hilton and Melcombe Horsey for the purposes of receiving the Report and Accounts of the Committee and for accepting the resignation of Members under Clause 2 hereof and for taking such action as it may decide under clause 7 hereof provided nevertheless that if in any year an AGM shall not be convened and held in the month of March the AGM for that year shall be held as soon as practicable ie after the month of March and such meeting shall be convened by such persons as shall be nominated for the purpose by the Charity Commissioners.

4. All Members of the Committee shall retire annually at the AGM. Every organisation entitled to appoint a Member of the Committee to take the place of a Member retiring at an AGM shall make the appointment at any time within one month before the AGM at which the retiring Member of the Committee shall retire.

5. A casual vacancy arising from the death or resignation or removal of a Member of the Committee shall be filled by the organisation by which such Member shall have been appointed and the person appointed shall retire at the time when the vacating Member would have retired. In the event of a vacancy arising through the death resignation or removal of a Member of the Committee elected by the AGM the Committee shall have power to fill such vacancy until the next AGM.

6. In the event of any other Organisation being formed in the said Parishes with aims of a social recreational or educational character not inconsistent with those upon which the Trust Premises are held hereunder the Committee shall have the power by a Resolution of the Committee passed at a Meeting at which not less than two-thirds of all the members of the Committee vote in favour of the Resolution to allow such new Organisation to appoint an additional Member of the Committee in the same manner as ifsuch new Organisation had been mentioned in the second column of the second schedule hereto and for this purpose the total number of members of the Committee as provided for in Clause 2 hereof may be increased (but no such Resolution shall be effective until it has been approved by an Order of the Charity Commissioners.

7. If any Organisation entitled to appoint a Member of the Committee ceases to exist or fails to make an appointment in manner aforesaid before the AGM in any year the AGM shall decide in what way if at all the vacancy shall be filled.

8. The proceedings of the Committee shall not be invalidated by any vacancy among its Members or by any defect in the appointment or qualification of any Member.

9. The Committee may from time to time make and alter rules and resolutions for the conduct of its business and for the summoning and conduct of its meetings and in particular with reference to: a) The terms and conditions upon which the Trust Premises may be used for entertainments, meetings social gathering and other purposes and the sum (if any) to be paid for such use. b) The appointment of an Auditor, Treasurer and such other unpaid officers as it may consider necessary and the fixing of their respective terms of office. c) The engagement and dismissal of such paid Officers and servants of the Trust Premises as it may consider necessary. d). The number of Members who shall form a quorum at its meetings provided that the number of Members who form a quorum shall never be less than a third of the total number of Members of the Committee.

10. All payments in respect of the use of the Trust Premises and all donations for the benefit thereof shall be paid into a Trust Account at the Post Office Savings Bank at Melcombe Bingham Post Office or at such other Bank as shall be from time substituted therefor by the Committee.

11. The moneys standing to the credit of the said Account shall be applied as the Committee shall decide in repairing and insuring the Trust Premises and/or the furniture and effects therein and in payment of all rent (if any), rates, taxes, salaries of paid Officers and Servants and other outgoings and in providing furniture, games, books, newspapers, periodicals and other means of recreation and otherwise for the upkeep and improvement of the Trust Premises.

12. The Committee may upon vote of the majority of all its Members and (when necessary) with the consent of the Charity Commissioners, from time to time by Mortgage or otherwise obtain such advances on the security of the Trust Premises, or any part thereof, as may be required for maintaining, extending or improving the same or any part thereof, or erecting any building thereon, or the work carried out therein and may continue to repay in whole or in part and from time to time any existing Mortgage or Charge on the said premises.

13. If the Committee by a majority decides at any time that on the ground of expense or otherwise it is necessary or advisable to discontinue the use of the Trust Premises in whole or in part for the purposes hereinbefore indicated, it shall call a Meeting of the inhabitants of the age of eighteen years or upward of the Parishes of Hiton and Melcombe Horsey of which meeting not less than fourteen days notice (stating that a resolution will be proposed thereat) shall be posted in a conspicuous place or places on the Trust Premises and advertised in a newspaper circulating in the said Parishes and if such a decision shall be confirmed by a majority of such inhabitants present at such Meeting and voting the Committee may with the consent of the Charity Commissioners let or sell their interest in the Trust Property or any part thereof. All moneys arising from such letting or sale (after satisfaction of any liabilities properly paying thereout) shall with such consent as aforesaid be applied either in the purchase of other premises approved by the Committee and to be hold upon the Trusts for the purposes and subject to the provisions hereinbefore set forth (including this power) or as near thereto as circumstances will permit or towards such other charitable purposes or object for the benefit of the inhabitants of the Parishes of Hilton and Melcombe Horsey and as may be approved by the Charity Commissioners and meanwhile such moneys shall be invested in the name of the official Trustees of Charitable Funds and any income arising therefrom shall either be accumulated (for such time as may be allowed by law) by investing the same and the resulting income therefore in like manner as an addition to and to be applied as the capital of such investments or shall be used for any purpose for which the income of the Trust Premises may be applied.

14. If any Rules or Regulations made under the in that behalf thereinbefore contained are inconsistent with the provisions of the presents the latter shall apply.

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THE SECOND SCHEDULE above referred to:
1 Parish Council of Hilton
1 Parish Meeting of Melcombe Horsey
1 Parochial Church Council Of Hilton
1 Parochial Church Council of Melcombe Horsey
1 Methodist Church of Ansty
1 Women’s Institute
1 Committee of the Cricket and Football Club
1 Committee of the Youth Club