Main objective
Phoenix Choir (the Choir) is an unincorporated Association.
The objective of the Choir is to provide a place where people who enjoy singing can meet up, sing
together and have fun in a relaxed atmosphere.
The Choir aims to:
• Meet weekly
• Work towards occasional performances
• Form friendships
• Arrange ad-hoc social activities
Membership
The Choir is open to singers of all ages and abilities. Membership is granted on the receipt of the first
monthly subscription.
Subscriptions, resignation and expulsion
Subscriptions are payable monthly in advance by bank transfer.
Current Subscription Rates: £25.00 per calendar month
The cost of the subscription is determined by the Management Committee (the Committee) and is set
at a level that will cover all costs at a minimum level of membership.
Choir Members can resign at any time by communicating their intention, via any communication
method, to other Choir Members. Any unused monthly subscription will not be refunded.
The Choir Management Committee reserve the right to ask a Choir member to leave if:
• The Choir member is disruptive
• The Choir Member ceases to pay their subscription or is substantially behind with payments
• Any other cause which is deemed by the Committee to be harmful to the reputation and/or operation of the Choir
When leaving the choir, members should return any Choir items, e.g. scarfs, lyric folder & sheets. As
per our Data Protection Statement, we will delete any personal data held for former members.
Management of the Choir
The Choir is a cooperative. All Choir members have a vote.
Decisions regarding day-to-day running of the Choir (including, but not limited to: song choices;
performances; uniform; social activities; and purchases) will be decided by a simple majority based on
a show of hands during weekly rehearsals. Choir members not present will be deemed to have
abstained.
An unelected Management Committee (the Committee) exists to carry out the administrative
functions and activities necessary for the operation of the Choir. The Committee consists of Choir
members who actively express an interest in carrying out administrative activities and assigned
actions/duties. Any Choir member can request to join the Committee; to do so a written request
should be made to the existing Committee Members.
A Committee member can be asked to leave the Committee, by the other Committee members, if
they do not actively carry out Choir activities or duties, and/or do not attend multiple Committee
meetings.
The Activities carried out by the Committee include, but is not limited to:
• Banking and Accounts: Income and Expenditure
• Rehearsal and Performance bookings
• Appointment and management of the Musical Director
• Choir communications
• Membership: New Member on-boarding, Recruitment and Subscriptions
• Purchasing
• Website administration
• Other ad-hoc duties, e.g. ideas for social activities, charitable donations etc
The Committee convenes periodically, as and when required/requested. A quorum is formed when
three Committee members are present at a Committee meeting. Voting is by simple majority by those
members present.
Current Management Committee membership:
Secretary (Membership services & Communications): Vicki Harrison
Banking and Accounts: Carol Paterson
Website & Social Media Administration: Kirrie Griffith (Website Designer: Sean Honnor)
Other Activities, e.g. Recruitment, CD production etc: Sue Halhead-Baker, Paul Halhead, Michele
Herzog and Nick Williams
Financials
A Phoenix Choir bank account exists to enable safekeeping of income, and efficient payment of
outgoings. There will be a minimum of two bank signatories drawn from the Committee.
The financial year is January to December (i.e. Calendar year) and annual accounts will be prepared.
Copies of the annual accounts will be available upon demand from July following the year closure.
General Meetings
General Meetings will be held on an ad-hoc basis. A General Meeting can be requested by any Choir
Member. Topics for discussion will be provided by Choir members and an agenda will be circulated in
advance of the General Meeting.
Day-to-day votes will be taken at weekly rehearsals as and when required (see ‘Management of the
Choir’ above) unless a General meeting has been requested.
Provisions for Dissolution
The Choir will be dissolved if membership falls to levels which are not sustainable, either to operate
as a choir or where subscriptions fall to amounts which fail to cover regular costs. The decision to
dissolve the Choir will be voted on by all Choir members. Current Choir members at the point of
dissolution will be jointly liable for all remaining financial obligations. Any balance of funds remaining
after all liabilities have been settled will be shared equally between current Choir members (unless
there is unanimous agreement to donate the excess to an agreed charity).
Amending the Constitution
The Choir Constitution can be amended anytime by the Committee. Requests for amendments can
be submitted by any Choir member at any time.