About Nonsuch

About the Nonsuch Folk Club

Bishops Waltham Social Club, Bishops Waltham, SO32 1AR

Club Constitution, last updated May 2, 2023

Operating Times

• The club will open on alternate Thursdays until further notice.  

• The evening will start at 7.45pm and finish at 10.45pm.

Singarounds

• Each person is invited to perform a song, piece of music, poem or short piece of prose.  In the event of group performers, they will be offered 2 songs in the first round , followed by one song in subsequent rounds.

• The MC will ensure that as many people as possible who want to perform are able to do so. It may not be possible for every performer to have the same number of opportunities during the evening. 

• A break of approximately 15 minutes will be taken from 9:00pm onwards at the MC’s discretion.

• A donation of £2.00 to be paid by all attending the Folk Club on Singaround evenings. The Committee may declare a FREE evening from time to time.

Guest Nights

• Approximately 4 to 6 times per year, a performance of a professional or semi-professional individual, or group of musicians, will be asked to perform for an agreed fee. Performance duration will be 2 x 30-40 minutes.  

• Guest performance fees may be subsidised at the discretion of the Committee in order to ensure accessibility to all members. 

• To encourage attendance following the Pandemic, Guest Night entrance fees during 2023 will be £3.00 - £5.00, regardless of the guest costs. Any shortfall will be covered by the Folk Club’s financial reserves.

Guest Bookings

• Guests may only be offered gigs with prior agreement of the Committee.

• All proposed guests must be reviewed by the Committee.

• In all cases, guests will be contacted by the Event Organiser to discuss performance dates and fees.

• Advertising material for the guest will be obtained and edited by the Event Organiser prior to submission to the website and other advertising media.

• The Event Organiser’s contact details will be those used to make communications between the guest and the club.

• Cancellation, change of details, etc will be communicated through the Event Organiser.

• Guests will be paid in cash on the night by the Treasurer, who will provide a receipt to be signed and dated by the Guest

• There may be instances when the popularity of the Guest warrants advanced ticketing. Tickets will be sold to Nonsuch Folk Club members first. The event will be well advertised  and will state that entry is by ticket only.

• The Club will not offer accommodation to guests.

Feature Spots

• Where possible, the club will offer feature spots to allow development of performance standards.  

• The format of these spots will be agreed by the Committee.

Charity Night Singaround

• On one Singaround night per year, all proceeds will be donated to a Members’ nominated charity.  (No political or religious charities)

Theme Nights

• Approximately 3 Theme Nights will take place each year.  

• The organiser will be paid expenses for cuisine snacks. 

• Receipts will be provided to the treasurer.

Christmas Party

• This will be a FREE night for all members. 

• Attendees will be asked to bring a plate of food for the table. 

• Entertainment will be provided and, at the discretion of the Treasurer, eg. a raffle.

Folk Club Safety

• A full Risk Assessment has been undertaken by the Folk Club Committee. 

• In the event of an accident or emergency, the MC will take charge of the situation and advise members of any action to be taken.

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Approved by the Nonsuch Folk Club Committee: 3rd May 2023

Nonsuch Folk Club Constitution, updated May 2023                                                                                    

Organisation

The club is a not for profit organisation run by a committee. Persons may fulfil more than one committee role. The club meetings are conducted in accordance with the Nonsuch Folk Club Code of Practice (see above).

Objective

The objective of the Nonsuch Folk Club (the club) is to provide a regular venue for the presentation of the performing arts in a supportive and non critical environment.

Committee Officers and Duties:

Chairman: To manage committee meetings and have a casting vote on tied motions.

Vice-Chairman: To act as deputy to the Chairman.

Secretary and Website Editor: To act as general administrator, notifiying members of the dates of forthcoming events, and updating the website accordingly.

Minute Secretary: To take minutes of committee meetings.

Treasurer: To manage the club's financial resources and report to the committee and members as required.

Events Organiser: To organise the events diary and arrange theme nights, guest spots and feature spots.

Co-opted Members may be appointed at the AGM or as the need arises by the committee and reported to the AGM.

Committee Meetings: 

The committee will meet approximately every six weeks with a quorum of four members. The Chairman will conduct the meetings.

Minutes will be kept of proceedings and published on the website.

Any club member may raise any relevant matters for discussion by the committee by contacting the Secretary and Website Editor.

Annual General Meeting: 

An annual general meeting will be held in November each year to elect the Committee Members and to enable the Committee Officers to report back on the activities carried out throughout the year together with the accounts for the preceding year.

The Committee will review the folk club consitution annually and report any revisions at the AGM.

21 days' notice will be given to club members of the date of the AGM together with the opportunity to stand for election as a committee member or to raise items for inclusion on the agenda. Nominations for election to office will be made in writing to the Secretary at least 14 days prior to the meeting. Inclusion of items on the agenda will be at the discretion of the Chairman.

All Committee Officers shall retire from office at the commencement of the AGM meeting whereupon they may be nominated for re-election.

 Appointments of Committee Officers will be  by show of hands and by a majority of those present at the AGM.

Income: The club will collect a weekly subscription from members to defray operating expenses as necessary. The income will be paid into an account operated by the Committee and held in the name of the “Nonsuch Folk Club”.

All expenditure will be agreed by the Committee and cheques will be drawn on the club's bank account and signed by 2 Members of the Committee.

Aims and Activities

1 The club will meet at least 25 times a year for like minded people to sing, play music or recite poem or prose in a non critical and supportive environment. All skill levels and styles will be welcomed.

2 The club will encourage attendees who write their own songs, poems or prose to present new or mature work. All skill levels and styles will be welcomed.

3 The club will give members the opportunity to act as master of ceremonies to help increase personal confidence by improving public speaking and communication skills.

4 To help members improve their preparation, stage-craft and performance skills, the club will offer the opportunity to prepare and perform solo feature evenings.

5 The club will encourage members to explore new or different artistic options by having regular theme nights where performers are encouraged to reflect a particular theme in their presentation.

6 The club will conduct guest events where professional or semi-professional performers will provide entertainment for the evening. These evenings will be paid for by donations on the night and accrued club funds.

7 The Events Organiser will produce an Events Calendar for approval by the Committee.