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1. Equity and Disability Policy
Witney Town Bowls Club
Equity and Disability Policy
Club Equity and Disability Officers: Brian and Alison Eastgate
Equal Opportunity
Witney Town Bowls Club respects the rights, dignity and worth of every person and is committed to treat everyone equally regardless of age, gender, ability, disability, ethnicity, religious belief, sexual orientation, social/economic status or political persuasion.
Equal Opportunity in bowls is about celebrating difference and diversity and as such providing a structure that can respond to this in a proactive and positive manner.
In addressing equal opportunities, the club will ensure that equity (as stated in the club rules) is incorporated into all aspects of its activities, and in doing so, recognizes and adopts the following Sport England definition of Sports Equity:
“Sports equity is about fairness in sport, equality of access, recognizing inequalities and taking steps to address them. It is about changing the culture and structure of sport to ensure it becomes equally accessible to all members of society”
The club also supports the following four key principals as being fundamental to ensuring equity in our sport.
Key Principals
The club also supports the following four key principals as being fundamental to ensuring equity in our sport.
Entitlement: People have a right to participate in and access quality and appropriate experiences within bowls.
Accessibility: The club accepts its responsibility, wherever and whenever possible, to adapt provision to fit the needs of the many.
Inclusion: Wherever and whenever possible, the club will make every effort to ensure all have access to the same quality of provision, and if necessary, we will use positive action to ensure this.
Integrity: Whatever we do as a club in changing or adopting provision, it must be of equal worth, challenging, relevant and in no way patronizing
Equity Policy
In addressing these key principles, the club and all its members undertake to respond to issues of equity by:
• Recognizing that bowls is a ‘Sport for all’. They can and should be enjoyed and made accessible to everyone.
• Positively encouraging involvement, membership and participation from all sectors of the community, regardless of their gender, race, disability, age and social background, ensuring that bowls is accessible to the many rather than the few
• acknowledging that equal opportunity is about recognizing that people are different and therefore require different provision
• taking positive action to increase the involvement from underrepresented groups in all aspects of our club
• recognizing that as a club, we need to adapt and work flexibly in order to respond to the needs of a wide and diverse range of people.
• Promoting an open and honest culture that values diversity and promotes equality of opportunity
• Ensuring that everyone feels a valued member of our club
• opposing discriminatory behavior and dealing with any incidence of discriminatory behavior seriously, according to the club disciplinary procedures.
Coaching
In our training and development of coaches, we will strive to ensure that they:
• Adopt, promote and practice the principals and practices of equal opportunities
• Promote positive images of people with Special needs.
• Are committed to providing entitlement and access to all their professional activities.
• Encourage high expectations and standards of achievement from all they coach
• Involve everyone in meaningful and appropriate activity to ensure a quality experience.
• Help everyone to achieve their full potential.
• Ensure that participation can be enjoyed by all
Review
This club policy will be reviewed by the management committee at yearly intervals, or when new legislation is enacted affecting the policy.
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2. Child Protection and Vulnerable Adult Policy
Witney Town Bowls Club
Child Protection and Vulnerable Adult Policy
Club Safeguarding Officers: Brian and Alison Eastgate
General
Witney Town Bowls Club is committed to safeguarding the welfare of children and vulnerable adults in the sport. All children and vulnerable adults are entitled to protection from harm and have the right to take part in all the club activities in a safe, positive and enjoyable environment.
Welfare
- The welfare of the child or vulnerable adult is paramount.
- All participants regardless of age, gender, ability or disability, race, faith, size, language or sexual identity, have the right to protection from harm.
- All allegations and suspicions of harm will be taken seriously and responded to swiftly, fairly and appropriately.
- Everyone will work in partnership to promote the welfare, health and development of children and vulnerable adults.
- The interests of those who work or volunteer with children and vulnerable adults will be protected.
Administration
The club will appoint a Club Safeguarding Officer (CSO), as the first point of contact for safeguarding and welfare; it will ensure that the CSO is a member of, or may attend the management committee, making safeguarding issues a priority for the club.
Culture
The club’s aim is to create a culture where everyone feels confident to raise legitimate concerns without prejudice to their own position. Concerns about the behaviour of members which may be harmful to a child or vulnerable adult in their care must be reported to the management committee through the CSO.
Behaviour
Good behaviour within the club is the responsibility of the players. Team captains, players and parents must always promote good discipline, both on and off the green.
Raising Concerns
Safeguarding children and vulnerable adults is every member’s responsibility. This means that everyone in the club has a responsibility to respond to any concerns that they or others, may have about a child or vulnerable adult, or the behavior of an adult.
If a child or vulnerable adult discloses information to you, you should keep questions to a minimum and make brief, accurate notes at the earliest opportunity.
A member who becomes aware of any suspicions or concerns about the safety or welfare of a child or vulnerable adult must pass these on to the CSO as soon as possible.
Transport
When the club arranges transport to matches or competitions then the club will ensure that drivers have a valid driving licence and appropriate insurance and breakdown cover has been arranged; parents give their consent and have the driver’s contact details, with the driver having easy access to parents’ contact details including mobile phone numbers; no child or vulnerable adult is left alone in the car with the driver, unless it is the adult’s own child or vulnerable adult. If, in extenuating circumstances, this situation arises the child or vulnerable adult should sit in the back of the car if possible; the children involved are happy with the arrangement and adults are alert to any signs of disquiet.
Review
The club policy will be reviewed by the management committee at yearly intervals, or when new legislation is enacted affecting the policy.
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3. Witney Town Bowls Club Smoking Policy
Witney Town Bowls Club
Smoking Policy
The smoking policy of the Club applies within the boundaries of the Bowls Club site and is as follows:
Smoking or vaping
is NOT permitted in the bowls club pavilion
is NOT permitted on the bowling green
is NOT permitted on the apron around the bowling green
is NOT permitted in any other place within the site except for the areas below
IS permitted in the designated smoking areas provided adjacent to the north-east
and south-west corners of the green.
This policy will be notified to visiting teams at the start of all matches, to all hirers of
the pavilion, and to all visitors to the club.
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4. Constitution and Rules
WITNEY TOWN BOWLS CLUB
CONSTITUTION & RULES
2017
1. Name: The Club shall be called ‘Witney Town Bowls Club'.
2. Objects: The Club is constituted to provide facilities for and to promote participation of the whole community in playing and the organisation of club and competitive bowls. To adopt and enforce the 'Laws of the Game' as adopted from time to time by Bowls England.
3. Members: Membership of the Club shall be open to all persons irrespective of ethnicity, nationality, sexual orientation, religion or beliefs; or of age or disability except as a necessary consequence of the requirements of bowls as a particular sport. The Club may refuse membership only for good and sufficient cause, such as conduct or character likely to bring the Club or sport into disrepute. If a person shall appeal against such a decision it will be referred to the Club’s members and decided by a majority vote.The full name and address of new members, together with their telephone and email address shall be passed to the Hon Secretary who shall keep an up-to-date list of all Club members.
There shall be 5 levels of membership.
- Full Membership; entitles the member to bowl both outdoors during the summer season and indoors during the winter season, the member will also be eligible to take part in any social function. New members will be charged a prorata subscription dependant on the month of their joining. April and May 100%; June 85%; July 70%; August 55%; September 40%.
- Youth Membership; entitles the member to bowl both outdoors during the summer season and indoors during the winter season, the member will also be eligible to take part in any social function.
- Short Mat Membership; entitles the member to bowl indoors during the winter season and is also eligible to take part in any social function.
- Social Membership; is for non-bowling members and allows them to take part in any social functionthey shall not be entitled to vote at any General Meeting.
- Temporary Membership: is for one month only. The number of temporary members shall at no time exceed one tenth of the membership of the Club (excluding such temporary members). Temporary members shall not be entitled to take part in any club competition.
4. Management: The Management Committee shall consist of 9 members as follows: President, Hon Secretary, Hon Treasurer, Club Captain, Bar Treasurer, Fixture Secretary, Competitions Secretary and two elected Committee members. The aforementioned 9 members shall be elected annually at the Annual General Meeting. The following Club Officers and representatives may attend and report to the Management Committee on the occasion that they have anything they wish to report; Ladies Captain, Men’s Captain, Bar Manager the OWBA and OBA representatives. Nominations for officers and Committee members must be properly proposed and seconded on the list displayed in the Clubhouse, and, as acceptance of the nomination, signed by the nominee. No further nominations shall be accepted after the list is removed one week prior to the AGM. If there is no nominee for a particular office, or if there are insufficient nominations for Committee members, nominations may be taken from the floor at the Annual General Meeting. The Management Committee shall meet at such times as it shall determine, and at all such meetings, five members shall form a quorum. The Hon. Secretary shall deal with the general administration of the Club and will cause minutes to be kept of all meetings. The Hon. Treasurer shall deal with all Club finances, will keep proper records and prepare balance sheets as required by the Committee, and for audit purposes. The Management Committee shall have authority at any time to fill a vacancy among the officers and Committee. Any Officer or Committee member so appointed shall hold office until the next AGM, but shall then be eligible for re-election in the constitutional manner. If any officer is unable to complete their term of office, the Management Committee shall appoint a replacement at their discretion.
5. Subscriptions: On being admitted to the Club, every member shall pay a subscription, dependant on their level of involvement, as agreed at the AGM. The subscription shall be due on the 20th day of April.
6. Catering: For home Club matches and other events, every member shall be responsible for an appropriate share of catering duties as defined by the Management Committee and indicated by the roster displayed on the Club notice board at the start of the bowling season.
7. Expulsion of Members: The Club may expel from membership only for good and sufficient cause, such as conduct or character likely to bring the Club or sport into disrepute. Any person wishing to make a complaint of misconduct by a member must do so in writing to the President of the Club. If after preliminary investigation the President of the Club considers that a prima facie case of misconduct exists, the President of the Club will refer the complaint to the Club Disciplinary Committee.
In the aforementioned paragraph misconduct shall mean misconduct as defined in the relevant Bowls England Rules & Regulations and the Club will adopt the current policy/guidelines of Bowls England under Regulation 9.
8. Accounts: Certified accounts of the financial affairs of the Club shall be delivered to every member with the notice convening the Annual General Meeting.
9. General Meetings: An Annual General Meeting of the Club shall be held in the month of November in each year and fifteen months shall not elapse without a General Meeting. At the AGM, the following business shall be conducted:
- The presentation (and, if so resolved) the acceptance of the accounts for the period ended on the 30th day of September prior to the meeting; which accounts shall first have been duly certified by the person appointed at the last Meeting.
- The election of the Officers and Committee.
- The election of a person to certify the accounts.
- Such business as shall have been properly communicated to the Hon. Secretary and included in the Notice of Meeting sent to the members.
10. Extraordinary Meetings: An Extraordinary General Meeting may be convened at any time and shall be convened within twenty-one days of the President receiving a requisition in writing, stating the purpose for which such meeting is required, from not less than ten members of the Club.
11. Notice of Meetings: At least fourteen days before any General Meeting, the Hon. Secretary shall notify every member by email if the member shall have a recorded email address or failing that by post at the address recorded in the Club's books, a notice of the meeting, stating the time when and the place where it will be held, together with an agenda of the business to be conducted.
12. Business at General Meetings: The business at a General Meeting shall be limited to that provided by these Rules and those further matters set out in the notice convening the meeting. The quorum at any General meeting shall be five committee members together with fifteen members of the Club.
13. Chair: The President of the Club shall preside at all meetings, if he or she so elects not to take the chair the committee shall appoint a member to take the position. If the President shall not be present within fifteen minutes of the time appointed, or has signified his or her inability to be present at the meeting, the members present who are entitled to a vote, shall choose one of their number to occupy the Chair of the meeting.
14. Guests: Any member shall be entitled to introduce guests to the Club provided that no person whose application for membership has been declined or who has been expelled from the Club shall be introduced as a guest. The member introducing a guest shall enter the name of the guest together with his or her own name in a visitors' book which shall be kept at the Club premises. Members and officials of teams visiting the Club for matches or social engagements may enjoy the privileges of the Club.
15. Income and Property: The income and property of the Club shall be applied solely towards promoting the Club’s objects as set forth in the constitution and no portion thereof shall be paid or transferred, directly or indirectly, to the Members of the Club.
16. Trophies: All Trophies shall remain the property of the Club.
17. The Bar: The Bar Manager shall be allowed to co-opt Club members over the age of eighteen to assist in the day to day running of the bar. Intoxicating liquor shall not be supplied to persons under the age of eighteen years. Intoxicating liquor shall not be supplied for consumption off the premises.
18. Sale of Intoxicating Liquor to Strangers: The Club may supply intoxicating liquor to its members and bone-fide guests and may supply intoxicating liquor to members and officials of teams visiting the premises for the purpose of playing matches.
19. Club Premises: The clubs’ premises, including if required the kitchen and a manned bar, may be hired out at the discretion of the Management Committee.
20. Complaints: Members who have complaints against other members, the Management Committee, or other subjects shall make the complaint in writing to the Hon. Secretary for submission at the next Management Committee meeting. The Management Committee shall be the sole authority for the interpretation of Club rules. The Management Committee may make bylaws if thought necessary for the proper conduct of the Club.
21. Dissolution: Upon dissolution of the club (after all debts and liabilities have been paid) any remaining asserts shall be given or transferred to another registered Community Amateur Sports Club, a registered charity or the sports governing body.
22. Modification of Rules: No alteration or addition to these rules shall be made except by a resolution carried by a majority of at least two-thirds of the members present at a General Meeting. The Secretary shall as soon as possible and in any case within twenty-one days of the making of any alteration or addition to the rules give notice of such alteration or addition to the Chief Officer of the Police, the Clerk of the Local Authority, and the Clerk to the Magistrates' Court of the district in which the Club is situated.
23. Child Protection Policy: The club shall operate a Child Protection Policy and a responsible person shall be appointed annually as Child Protection Officer.
24. Trustees: There shall be a minimum of three Trustees at any one time. Each Trustee shall be appointed in writing by the Management Committee and shall serve until they resign in writing to the Management Committee or until the Management Committee shall terminate the appointment. In the event that the number of Trustees fall below three the Management Committee shall forthwith make another appointment. The Trustees are collectively empowered on behalf of the Management Committee to enter into and execute a Lease between Witney Town Council and the Club. They shall also be responsible for the performance and observance of the terms of the Lease. The Trustees shall be indemnified against risk and expense in the performance of the Lease should Witney Town Bowls Club go into liquidation or cease to exist. The cost of such insurance shall be covered by Witney Town Bowls Club. Trustees may make written representations to the Management Committee on any matter relating to the Club’s assets. Each Trustee has the right to attend any meeting of the Management Committee, but they will not have any voting rights unless they are also a member of the Committee.
By-laws: Members shall wear approved tops and grey trousers or skirts (other than those occasions when white trousers/ skirts are indicated) whenever playing in Club matches or competitions.
