Friends of St. Laurence's is a charitable trust, registration 1186760. There are 4 trustees who have delegated responsibility for day-to-day operations to an 11 person committee, 2 of whom are appointed by the PCC, the others, including officers - Chair, Treasurer, Secretary - are elected annually by members at an annual general meeting.
The rector of Chorley is ex officio chair of the trustees and President of FOSL. Mrs Jane Morwood is Secretary to both trustees and committee.
1. NAME
The name of the organisation is THE FRIENDS OF ST LAURENCE CHURCH CHORLEY
2. PURPOSES
The purposes of the organisation are:
To raise funds for the care and maintenance of the buildings and facilities of St Laurence Church Chorley;
To promote the use of the church buildings as a community asset for use by local affinity groups and other appropriate organisations;
To exploit the opportunities offered by modern technology and engage with a wider audience in the UK and overseas to raise awareness of the role of the church buildings in the history of Chorley and the surrounding area and their significance for the identity of the town.
3. PRESIDENT
The Rector of St Laurence shall be President of the organisation ex officio.
4. MEMBERSHIP
Full members
Full membership of the organisation shall be open to any person over the age of 18, approved by the Committee who subscribes to the objectives of the organisation and agrees to be bound by its rules. Members will pay an annual subscription of £50 the subscription for a couple is £75.
Associate Members
Any person wishing to express their support for the organisation and receive information about its activities may become an associate member on payment of a subscription of £25.
Corporate Members
Any local affinity group may become a corporate member by concluding a partnership agreement with the organisation with a minimum subscription of £100.
Sponsorship
The organisation may from time to time make sponsorship agreements with persons or organisations that wish to contribute financially to their activities.
Patrons
The Committee may from time to time recommend that distinguished individuals wishing to express their support for its objectives are invited to become patrons of the organisation, invitations are subject to confirmation by the annual general meeting.
All subscriptions are payable annually on the 1st January for each calendar year. The Secretary shall maintain an up to date list of members.
5. COMMITTEE
The organisation shall be managed by a committee of up to seven members elected at the annual general meeting plus three members appointed by the Parochial Church Council. Five (5) members of the Committee including one officer and one appointed member shall form a quorum.
Officers
The officers of the organisation elected at the annual general meeting shall be the Chair, Treasurer and Secretary. No individual shall serve as an officer in any capacity for more than five years. Members of the Committee may be assigned responsibility for specific activities as appropriate.
Meetings
The committee must meet four times a year (once a quarter); additional meetings may be convened by the Chair at their discretion or if requested by members. The secretary is responsible for circulating an agenda in advance of the meeting and for recording and maintaining the minutes. Any conflicts of interest must be declared and recorded
6. POWERS OF THE COMMITTEE
In pursuit of the stated objectives the Committee, acting on behalf of the membership, has the following powers:
To raise funds, receive grants and donations including sponsorship and collect annual subscriptions;
Apply funds to carry out the work of the organisation;
Ensure that all projects are legal and conform with any statutory obligations;
Co-operate with other organisations with similar purposes and objectives;
Undertake any lawful action which is necessary to fulfil its purposes.
7. ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING
The Annual General Meeting is open to all members and associates, but only full members have the right to speak and vote. The President of the organisation shall act as Chair. The annual meeting must be held before the 31st March each year, the Secretary must issue a notice of the meeting and an agenda at least fourteen 14 days in advance. 25 members are required to form a quorum.
Decisions other than amendments to the constitution will be taken by simple majority members who subscribe as couples will have one vote each.
The agenda of the meeting must include the following:
approval of the minutes of the last meeting
report by the Chair on behalf of the Committee;
report by the Treasurer and an audited set of financial statements for the prior year ending 31st December;
appointment of auditors;
approval of any amendments to the constitution proposed by the committee or by 25 members in writing. A majority of at least 2/3rds of members present and voting is required for any proposal for change to be adopted;
election of committee members and officers; nominations must be received by the Secretary 21 days in advance of the meeting and circulated with the agenda; self-nominations are permitted;
consideration of any resolution proposed by the committee or at least ten members and received by the Secretary 21 days in advance of the meeting and circulated with the agenda;
consideration of any urgent business at the discretion of the President.
8. SPECIAL GENERAL MEETING\
A special general meeting may be convened on a proposal by the committee or a written request from 25 members submitted to the Secretary to consider changes to the constitution or a proposal for winding up the organisation. The rules of procedure shall be the same as for the annual general meeting but no business other than changes to the constitution or a winding up proposal may be considered. 9. MONEY AND PROPERTY
Money and property held by the organisation must only be used to carry out its purposes;
Officers and committee members may not receive any remuneration in cash or kind other than for the reimbursement of reasonable out-of-pocket expenses;
Financial statements must be submitted to each quarterly committee meeting and made available to members on the organisation’s website;
The Treasurer is accountable to the committee for maintaining accurate accounting records and for the management of the organisation’s bank account(s).
Note: This constitution was adopted by acclamation at an inaugural meeting of members on November 25 2018