CONSTlTUTlON

of the

Russian Society
in Great Britain

Launch date: 1st May 2001.

1. Name of the Society

The Society shall be called:-
THE RUSSIAN SOCIETY IN GREAT BRITAIN
The Official Russian Society in Great Britain.

It shall be non-sectarian and non-political.

2. HeadQuarters of the Society

The headquarters of the Russian Society in Great Britain shall be based in Great Britain, with the web address: <www.russian-society.org.uk> and e-mail address: <secretary@russian-society.org.uk>.

3. Objectives of the Society

The objectives of the Society shall be:-
(i) The fostering and preservation of Russian sentiment;

(ii) The cultivation of social intercourse among members;

(iii) The provision of helpful information and advice for members;

(iv) The provision of a Russian-English / English-Russian translation / interpretation service for members;

(v) The promotion of Russian Art, Music, Fashion, Cuisine, Literature and News;

(vi) The provision of a Russian Book Service, endeavouring to obtain Russian publications by mail-order, and keeping a database of Russian Books available in British Public Libraries.

(vii) The rendering of assistance to aged, infirm or necessitous members, or (at the option of the Council) other people who would qualify as members;

(viii) The rendering of assistance to Corporate Members from a pool of resources and public information;

(ix) The raising of funds for registered Charities in Great Britain and the Russian Federation;

(x) The honouring of distinguished people sympathetic to both Russia and Great Britain, their society and culture;

(xi) The encouraging of research, promotion and preservation of records pertaining to Russian and British Genealogy, Heraldry and Heritage;

(xii) The collection and preservation of records and traditions bearing on the history of Russia. The Society shall encourage friendly relations between the Great British and Russian Federal Governments and Peoples; related Societies, Businesses, Organisations and other recognised Russian Societies worldwide.

4. Qualifications of Membership

The membership shall consist of:-
(i) Persons holding Russian citizenship, who are either resident, working in or making frequent visits to Great Britain;

(ii) Persons holding joint British and Russian citizenship;

(iii) Persons holding British citizenship having formerly held Russian citizenship;

(iv) Relatives of the aforesaid (i - iii), who are either resident, working in or making frequent visits to Great Britain;

(v) Students of the Russian Language, Culture, History, Philosophy, Religions, Society, Business or Law, who are resident in or making frequent visits to Great Britain;

(vi) Russian students at an educational institute in Great Britain;

(vii) Businesses registered in Great Britain working in, or trading with registered businesses in, the Russian Federation (Corporate Membership);

(viii) Businesses registered in the Russian Federation working in, or trading with registered businesses in, Great Britain (Corporate Membership);

(ix) Any person or organisation whom the Council shall consider could be of service to the Society, including those who are sympathetic to the aims of the Society.

(x) The Society shall consist of Life Members, Ordinary Members, Student Members and Corporate Members, but people of eminent distinction may be admitted as Honorary Members.

5. Membership Fees

Life Members shall be admitted on payment of £150; Ordinary Members shall be admitted on payment of £10 annually; Five Year Ordinary Members shall be admitted on payment of £45; Family Membership shall consist of members of one family living in the same household and shall be admitted on payment of £15 annually; Student Members shall be admitted at half the Ordinary Membership rate; Corporate Members shall be admitted on receipt of a letter on Corporate headed paper with the registration number and two authorised signatures of senior members of staff, and payment of £150 annually. Such fees shall be subject to revision by the Society at the Annual General Meeting. Members in arrears with their subscriptions shall, after six weeks' notice being given in writing by the secretary, be removed from the roll.

6. Finance

(i) The funds of the Society shall be invested in the name of the Society.
(ii) All cheques shall be signed by the Treasurer and one other Member of the Council.

(iii) Proper books of accounts shall be kept and these shall be submitted annually to an accountant who shall certify them as correct and true. They shall then be presented at the Annual General Meeting.

7. Benevolent Fund

In order to carry out the objects of the Society, a separate Benevolent Fund may be instituted if the Society in General Meeting also determines. The Members shall in General Meeting also determine the sums that shall be lodged in this Fund and shall appoint a Sub-Committee to administer the Fund and to be responsible to the members for decisions concerning applications for relief. All applications for relief must be seconded by a member of the Clergy or by a Justice of the Peace or by a Council Member.

8. The Committee

The Management of the Society shall be vested in the Society's Committee, which shall comprise the Office Bearers and the Council so elected; and this Committee shall have power to elect Sub-Committees, appoint a Finance Committee, co-opt additional members up to a maximum of twelve Councillors, and in general conduct the business of the Society.
(i) The Office Bearers of the Society shall consist of:-

(a) The Founder;
(b) The President;
(c) Past President;
(d) one or more Vice-Presidents;
(e) one Secretary;
(f) one Treasurer;
(g) one Accountant;
(h) one or more Russian/English Interpreters;
(i) one or more Information Technology Consultants.

(ii) The President shall be elected for a period of three years, and a term of office must elapse before he or she is eligible for re-election.

(iii) Election of all other Office bearers and Honorary Office bearers (excepting the Founder Member):-

(a) Shall be elected for three years, but may be eligible for re-election.
(b) If a person's name is to be put forward for election as Office bearer, then that particular person must have served as Council Member for at least one year prior to having his or her name put forward for election.

(iv) The Council shall be elected annually, ideally consisting of not less than five members and not more than twelve members.

(v) Letters written by the Society:-

(a) Society letters written to people Living oversees should first be approved by at least three Council Members, including the President.
(b) Copies of all Society letters should be lodged with the Secretary for filing.

9. Meetings of Council and Society

The Council shall meet as often as may be deemed necessary. Special meetings of the Council may be called without the normal seven days' notice being given if the President and two Council Members deem it necessary. The Society shall hold an Annual General Meeting on the second Monday in May each year (or at such other time as is convenient) for the purpose of electing Office Bearers, Council Members and Accountants, for considering reports of the Secretary and Treasurer, and for the transacting of any other competent business. The Financial Year shall be from the 1st of April until the 31st of March of the following year.
A special General Meeting of the Members may be called on the requisition of the President or on written request of ten Members being duly made to the Secretary. The Office Bearers and Council shall arrange such other meetings of the Members as are deemed necessary to carry out the Society's objectives.

10. Duties of the Treasurer and Secretary

The Treasurer shall receive all monies due to the Society, make all disbursements due by the Society. He or she shall keep proper books of account and these shall be laid before each meeting of the Council. The Treasurer shall prepare and submit to the Annual General Meeting a statement of their intromissions for the appropriate financial year. This statement shall be duly certified before submission. The Secretary shall convene and keep a record of all the proceedings of the ordinary and special meetings and carry out the general correspondence of the Society, and do all other necessary secretarial services in the interests of the Society, see also Section 8.

11. Publications and Reports

The Society will publish a bimonthly Electronic Journal and an annual Journal, with reports containing the Constitution of the Society and transactions of the Society together with any matters of interest relating to the Society or to its members.

12. Alterations to the Rules

No alteration or addition to these rules may be made unless proposed at the Annual General Meeting or at a Special General Meeting and adopted by two thirds of the members there present. Any alteration or addition shall be notified in writing to the secretary, who shall cause it to be notified to all members three weeks before the due date of the meeting.

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