Mexborough & Swinton Astronomical Society
Structure, Governance and Management
- Details
- Parent Category: Annual Reports
Governing Document and Constitution
The Society is an unincorporated association governed by a Constitution adopted August 1996 and last amended June 24th 2010.
The Society is run entirely by its members who pay an annual membership subscription and are not eligible for reimbursement of any out-of-pocket expenses. As of March 31st 2012 the Society had a Membership of 53.
Trustee Selection and Management
The Society is managed by an Executive Committee which consists of all the appointed trustees. A number of the trustees, also hold offices within the society, for example the Curator of Instruments and Observatory. These officers are noted in the list of current trustees above.
Trustees are elected annually by and from amongst the membership; at the Annual General Meeting held on May 26th 2011 the majority of the trustees, with the exception of Andrew Devey, stood for re-election and were elected unopposed. The society wishes to place on record its sincere gratitude to Andrew for commitment and hard work on behalf of the society and to wish him a long and happy retirement in Spain. The whole society looks forward to seeing the results of Andy’s solar observations.
The Executive Committee meet typically per month; in the year to March 31st 2012 a total of 12 formal meetings took place. Attendance at these meetings, shown as meetings attended/meetings eligible to attend was as follows Les Marsden 12/12, Gary Gawthrope 12/12, Steve Taylor 9/9, Shaun O'Dell 11/12, Paul D'Silva 11/12, Mick Waterfield 9/12, Glenn Marsden 9/12, Andy Devey 2/3, Jo Botterill 7/12, Mick Collinson 7/12, Danny Rodman 7/12, Tony Morris 6/12, and Phil Muffett 3/12.
At each meeting the Treasurer presents the latest accounts and these are reviewed against budgets and forecasts; spending is discussed and approved. Officers may authorise some spending within set limits but must ensure such spending is reported at the next meeting.
The meetings also offer a forum to review recent activities within our programme and to plan forthcoming events. Correspondence and applications for membership received are considered; in addition officers report on their areas of responsibility - typically reports are made quarterly. Further ad hoc meetings are called if required, for example to plan and manage special events or projects.
The Annual Report and Statement of Accounts are approved by the trustees and then presented to the membership at the Annual General Meeting.
The Society has also appointed a Finance sub-committee which meets on an ad hoc basis to advise on budget and financial management matters.
Related Organisations
The Society is a member of the Federation of Astronomical Societies (FAS), a national body established to promote co-operation between astronomical societies and provide information and advice to its members; for further information see the FAS website.
Two trustees of Mexborough & Swinton Astronomical Society, Mr O'Dell and Mr Gawthrope, serve on the Council of the FAS; Mr O'Dell as Secretary & PLI Officer and Mr Gawthrope as Vice President and Deputy Treasurer; all FAS Council members are drawn from the Federation's member societies.
The Society made a subscription payment to the FAS of £20 in the year and also purchased additional Public Liability cover, to cover events held away from the Observatory and meeting room, as part of a group scheme at a cost of £28.
Tony Morris, trustee and Curator of Instruments and Observatory, serves on the Council of the British Astronomical Association.
The Society's meeting room is a rented room in the Swinton Working Men's Club & Institute (SWMC). It is a requirement of the SWMC that all adult members of the Society must be members of the SWMC, this is managed by the Society and subscription payments totalling £47 were made to SWMC, in addition room rent was paid in the amount of £900.
The J.A. Jones Hoober Observatory is built on land rented from Yorkshire Water Services Ltd. for an annual rent of £75.
