Forest Spirit Archers

COMPANY BY-LAWS

By-laws 

(i) Health & Safety 

(ii) Discrimination 

(iii) Standards of Membership 

(iv) Disciplinary 

(v) Coaching 

(vi) Competitions & Club Nights 

Health & Safety 

(i)The company shall have in place a Health and Safety policy. The content of this policy shall be; 

• Provide relevant instruction, training, supervision and other relevant health and safety information to members. 
• Ensure that all members are competent in the activities they are engaged in. 
• Continue to consult with and update members on all Health and Safety issues. 
• Provide risk assessments for all common tasks engaged in by members where risk is involved and potential danger has been identified. 
• Encourage all members to take reasonable care for the health and safety of him/herself including those they may be responsible for, fellow members and all persons accordingly and to report any hazard which cannot be controlled personally to appropriate persons.

Discrimination 

The company shall adopt the EQUALITY ACT 2010 CODE OF PRACTICE for SERVICES and any future amendments to said act, PUBLIC FUNCTIONS AND ASSOCIATIONS STATUTORY CODE OF PRACTICE and any future amendments to said act. A copy of this can be found at the Equality and Human Rights Commission. Any future additions to the Code of Practice shall be adopted.

EHRC (Scottish Office) 

151 West George Street 

Glasgow G2 2JJ 

Web Site

Standards of Membership 

Membership will be by an ‘invitation’ basis only. This does not impact any existing members. Any person of legal majority and good moral character and good reputation in his/her community, and who have completed the necessary beginners coarse (for new/inexperienced archers) or has been coach vetted(experienced archer), and on completion of the necessary Membership and yearly fees and insurance paid may be invited to join the club by at least two current Directors. Consideration and continuation of membership will be given to archer’s adherence to safety principles, and their suitability in terms of maintaining a smooth running sports club, but their ability or disability should not be considered as a barrier to joining unless deemed as a health and safety risk to self or others. Every effort will be made to maintain a diverse and inclusive membership population.

Membership to Forest Spirit archers falls within the following categories:- 

Adult: over the age of 17. Junior: ages 13 to 17.  Cubs: ages 9 to 13. 

Disciplinary 

1. Introduction and Purpose of the Procedure 

Forest Spirit Archers is committed to creating an environment where all volunteers and members are able to perform to their best ability and enjoy the sport of Archery. Forest Spirit Archers (FSA) also recognises that there may be occasions where actions or conduct may result in the need for appropriate disciplinary measures to be applied in response. The purpose of this policy is to ensure that if such problems do arise, they are dealt with fairly and consistently. 

2. Principles 

If a member is subject to disciplinary action: 

The procedure is designed to establish the facts quickly and to deal consistently with disciplinary issues. At every stage the member will be advised of the nature of the complaint and given the opportunity to state their case in a meeting before any decision is taken on whether to impose a warning or other disciplinary sanction. The member will be given the opportunity to be represented or accompanied at any disciplinary meeting by another member or parent (if junior or cub). In some cases an investigation will be required before any final decision is taken on whether to impose a warning or other disciplinary sanction. 

There is a right by the individual to appeal in writing against any disciplinary action taken. 

3. Informal Discussions/Counselling 

Most disciplinary problems can be solved by informal discussions. Before taking formal disciplinary action, FSA will make every effort to resolve the matter through informal discussions, which may include mediation, additional training, or support for the volunteer/member. This may be recorded and kept on record. Only where this fails to bring about the desired improvement will removal of membership be considered. 

4. Removal of Membership If the volunteer’s conduct still fails to improve or if further serious misconduct occurs, the final stage in the disciplinary process may be instituted and the volunteer/member’s membership removed. The decision to remove membership will be taken by the appointed Director following an appropriate hearing and the volunteer/member being given the opportunity to state their case and put forward any mitigating circumstances. Following the hearing the volunteer/member will be informed as soon as possible as to the outcome and if relevant the reason for the action, the date on which the removal of membership applies and the right of appeal. Membership withdrawal,  may or may not result in refund of membership fees on a pro-rata basis.

5. Appeals 

If a volunteer/member wishes to appeal against any disciplinary decision, they must appeal, in writing, within five working days of the decision being communicated to them to the Chairman of the Board of Directors. The Chairman will convene an Appeals Sub-committee to hear the appeal and the volunteer/member will be invited to a meeting with the Appeals sub-committee. The volunteer/member will have the right to be accompanied to the appeal meeting. 

Coaching 

Forest Spirit Archers will appoint appropriate members as required. Coaches will agree to develop towards Governing Body recognised qualifications and to act in the best interests of the club. These individuals will schedule and run beginners/taster sessions for potential new club members. The scheduling, duration and frequency of these sessions will depend on their availability and they will also retain responsibility for the assessment of course attendees in the event of a ‘competent archer’ sign off being required. 

The coaches will utilise any club resources required in the act of completing these courses and the club will in turn ensure appropriate kit is available.

Coaches will manage/approve club kit hire, with a view to keeping interested parties shooting until they can acquire their own kit at the earliest opportunity, whilst also making the kit available for the coaching sessions.

Coaches can assess and appoint instructors as required to assist with coaching sessions or act as support for younger archers as required. 

Competitions & Club Nights

Forest Spirit Archers will champion all SFAA/IFAA arranged competitions, and will encourage new archers to attend. This will however not be a ‘hard sell’ as FSA understands competitive shooting isn’t for everyone.

The club will also make every effort to maintain a healthy schedule of a variety of local club events throughout the season. The majority of these events will be ‘fun’ events designed to encourage as many archers as possible to attend and reward individual effort, performance and improvement made regardless of style, class, gender, experience, age or score. 

Notification of these events will usually be made via email and/or Social Media(please ensure your contact details remain up to date).

Winter Club nights (October through March) are currently held in Cluny Clays archery hall between the hours of 5.30pm and 9pm. Whilst space isn’t finite, this 20yd (10yds available for cub/new archers as required) facility is open to all interested members. The club will support preparation towards Indoor Championships each year by providing the opportunity to practice competition scoring events in the second half of the indoor season.