Purpose
The purpose of the Forum is to ensure that everyone who lives in our community:
- is well connected and has a voice through, for example:
- social media, such as Facebook, emails, WhatsApp, etc- maintaining a village noticeboard- signage and leaflet drops, especially for those who do not use social media- the village website- publishing an annual report
-
can initiate and be involved in activities that support the community, that include but which are not limited to:
- regular and ad-hoc activities and events
- keeping the village tidy- one-off projects
The essence of the Forum is that it is a loose and informal grouping of like-minded people who want to enhance and enrich the lives of the members of the community with appropriate validity but with minimum bureaucracy and administration.
How the Forum meets its purpose
The Forum's core is made up of working parties, teams and task & finish groups of Members (residents). The groups and teams are called Clusters. The minimum number of Members for a Cluster is two.
Anyone can set up a Cluster as long as it carries out activities and/or contributes to communication in the community and/or supports the work of the Forum.
Each Cluster nominates a Cluster Lead (which need not be the person who set it up). The Cluster Leads form the Forum Panel, which is responsible for managing and co-ordinating activity. The members of the Panel appoint one of the members to be the Co-ordinator, who is responsible for convening the Panel in accordance with this constitution. The Panel can co-opt anybody to be a member, and they are an equal member.
The Forum can raise funds in order to support its purpose.
The Panel will review its activities regularly and will meet at least once a year. The Panel will prepare and distribute an annual report to all residences in the village by 31 March each year which will contain the accounts and a report on activity for the preceding calendar year. The report will also invite the members of the community to comment on the report and suggest areas of activity which the Forum will summarise and feedback to the village.
A simple majority of the members of the Panel is required for decision making. If needed, the Co-ordinator has a casting vote.
One member of the Panel will be the Treasurer. The Panel can appoint one of its members to be the Treasurer. If there is no-one willing or able to take on the role, then the Panel can co-opt a Treasurer, who is ideally a member of the community. The Treasurer is an equal member of the Panel – except for matters relating to his/her appointment. The Panel will ensure that the Forum has a bank account, with at least two signatories. The Co-ordinator cannot be a signatory. Annual accounts are subject to independent review.
Expenditure is approved by the Panel, except for minor items of expenditure – the figure to be agreed by the Panel – which the Treasurer and the Co-ordinator can approve (unless, one of them is the recipient, in which case another Panel member needs to approve).
- Communication + Activities + Members (Residents) = Clusters
- Cluster Leads (including Co-ordinator and Treasurer) = Panel
No income or property realised by fundraising or activities coordinated by St Hilary Forum may be distributed to any member of the Forum.
If St Hilary Forum ceases to be a working organisation and is dissolved, any assets will be distributed to another charitable organisation or not-for-profit organisation and will not be distributed to Forum members.