Draft Constitution (September 2025)

Hartington Village Hall: Charity No. 525048

The Village Hall has been in the ownership of the community of Hartington since 5^th January 1944 when transfer of the property to the ‘beneficial ownership’ of the then Trustees took place following purchase from Victor Thomas Perry for the sum of £1,500. The Village Hall is held in 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’ for the benefit of the inhabitants of the Parish of Hartington Town Quarter.

At the current point in time (Autumn 2025) the property entails a Main Hall, Lower and Upper Bakehouses which serve as meeting rooms, a kitchen/bar area, three toilet areas, boiler room and adjacent storage area, a mezzanine floor used for storage over the kitchen/bar, an entrance lobby, cellar and outside spaces comprising an entrance courtyard, side terrace, a single car park space and lawned areas to the rear and side.

In respect of objectives (purposes) the Village Hall currently provides:

Space for physical recreation in the Main Hall with examples being ‘keep fit’, indoor bowling, indoor curling, badminton, table tennis, Pickleball and dance.
Mental recreation in the form of Yoga, Pilates, Chair Pilates and ‘Well-Being’ courses as well as a range of board games.
Social activities take the form of a monthly Rural Social Group, a monthly ‘Fun and Friendship’ group, a fortnightly Activities Club, two parent and child groups and a weekly Hartington Young Peoples Activities Club (HYPAC).Concerts are held regularly throughout the year.
Intellectual and moral stimulation is inherent to all activities while there are two weekly language classes.

Opportunities to benefit from the activities available at the Village Hall are offered without distinction of sex, and/or political or religious beliefs. Specific provision exists in respect of those with mobility issues with straightforward access to the Main Hall and a dedicated toilet area.

The general management of the Village Hall is undertaken by volunteers in the form of a Management Committee. The Management Committee will consist of a maximum of seven Trustees and up to eight further members representative of the user groups of the Village Hall. Trustees are appointed following support of a proposer and seconder from among members of the Management Committee. Members will be co-opted by Trustees and every effort will be made to secure a representative balance of the local community, and particularly hall users, in respect of age, gender and ethnicity.

There will be three fixed Trustee roles: Chair, Secretary and Treasurer. These roles will be held for a period of one calendar year with individuals requiring a proposer and seconder for appointment by the Management Committee at the Annual General Meeting. Individuals are permitted to serve for more than one year if supported by the Management Committee. In the event of a vacancy arising through the death, resignation or removal of a Trustee or member of the Committee appointed at the Annual General Meeting then the Committee shall have power to fill such vacancy through co-option until the next Annual General Meeting.

The intention is to have the Chair of Hartington Community Group and a member of the Parish Council as members of the Management Committee.

A minimum of two Management Committee meetings will occur over a financial year, together with an Annual General meeting (AGM). Invitations to attend the AGM will be conveyed to the community at least two weeks in advance and generally will be scheduled for October.

A quorum should not be less than one third of the total Management Committee.

Meetings will be minuted and posted on the Village Hall website (www.hartingtonvillagehall.co.uk ).

The Management Committee shall from time to time make alterations to the conduct of it’s business, particularly in respect of :

Conditions of Hire
Hire fees
The appointment of an external examiner of the accounts
Service contractors, including builders, electricity supply, broadband provider, insurance, banking provider(s).

From time to time there will be a need to establish smaller teams to meet a particular need e.g. to plan and organise events of a community nature, undertake maintenance, plan and organise a building improvement.

The Management Committee shall hold the following licences:

A Premise Licence
A Small Society Lottery Licence (so long as an annual lottery is held)
And apply for a Bar Licence for relevant events where alcohol will be sold.

All payments in respect of the use of the Village Hall, including specific fund raising initiatives and donations, shall be paid into a specific bank account (currently a Nat West Business account). A separate business savings account will also be operated in order to secure interest on sums that will eventually be used to undertake improvements to the Village Hall. Monies in the accounts shall be applied as decided by the Management Committee in maintaining the premises and furniture, insurance, fuel and other measures related to the use of the premises.

The Management Committee may, upon the vote of a majority of its Members and (when necessary) with the consent of the Charity Commissioners, seek finance from time to time by Mortgage or otherwise by obtaining such advances on the security of the Trust premises or any part thereof as may be required for maintaining or extending the building. Repayment in whole or in part and from time to time will then be made on any Mortgage or Charge on the said premises. However such a decision should be considered only as a last resort with other approaches having been first explored.

If the Committee, by a majority, decide at any time that on the grounds of expense or otherwise that it is necessary or advisable to discontinue the use of the trust premises

in whole or in part for the purposes indicated then it shall organise a day for the Parish of Hartington Town Quarter inhabitants of the age of eighteen years + to attend and be informed with not less than fourteen days notice. The Chair of Trustees would be required to prepare a report in advance clearly outlining why such a decision is being considered. This will be made available to residents over the 14 day process. On the day Trustees and members of the Committee will lead discussion groups. If such a decision is then confirmed by a simple majority of parish inhabitants present and voting over the day then the Committee may, with the consent of the Charity Commissioners, let or sell the Trust premises or any part thereof.

All monies arising from such letting or sale (after satisfaction of any liabilities) shall be applied either in the purchase of other premises approved by the Committee and to be held for the stated purposes previously set out (or as near as circumstances will permit) or towards such other charitable purposes or objects for the benefit of the inhabitants of the Parish of Hartington Town Quarter as may be approved by the Charity Commissioners.

Meanwhile such monies shall be invested by the Management Committee and any income arising shall either be accumulated (for such time as may be allowed by law) or shall be used for any purpose for which the income of the Village Hall may properly be applied.