1. Name.
The Solo Piping Judges’ Association shall be an unincorporated association.

2. Objects.
The objects of the Association shall be:

i) To represent the interests of judges of solo piping competitions, in particular in relation to the organisation and conduct of competitions, and in doing so to liaise with competition promoters and organisers, the Joint Committee for Solo Piping Competitions, the Competing Pipers’ Association, the Piobaireachd Society and other relevant bodies;

ii) To maintain a list of accredited judges of solo piping, to allocate an appropriate grading to each judge on the list according to the judge’s knowledge, ability and experience, and to review the list and each judge’s grading at least annually;

iii) To seek to ensure that judges on the list are those whom the Association can recommend to competition organisers as competent to judge solo piping competitions, and to that end to facilitate and support training opportunities for all judges;

iv) To provide a forum for discussion and resolution of issues arising in relation to the judging of solo piping competitions;

v) To prepare a Code of Recommended Conduct for judges, that will be reviewed annually;

vi) To consider complaints from any source concerning the competence and conduct of judges on the list of judges;

vii) To investigate complaints using the agreed Complaints Procedure and to take such action as may be deemed appropriate;

3. Membership.
The judges whose names are on the list of accredited judges maintained by the Solo Piping Judges Association shall be eligible to become members. Annual Payment of the membership fee will be in June. Failure to pay within 21 days will result in suspension from the list until payment is made.

Those placed on the list of judges will agree, as a condition of membership, to the terms of the Association’s Constitution, Code of Practice and Disciplinary procedure.

4. Committee and Office Bearers.
There shall be a Chairman, a Secretary, and a Treasurer, who shall be proposed, seconded and elected at the Annual General Meeting each year and shall remain in office until their successors are elected at the next Annual General Meeting. The Chair will be a senior judge in both categories. The treasurer may be ex officio.

Along with those, there shall be three committee members who will serve a term of three years, each to retire in rotation. Another member, elected by the general membership in a secret ballot, will replace the person who retires.

Decisions shall be made by a simple majority and in the event of equality of votes the Chairman shall have a casting or additional vote.

Casual vacancies may be filled temporarily by the remaining members of the Committee.

The Committee shall;

i) Consider applications for membership

ii) Allocate gradings for Piobaireachd and/or Light Music to any judge who wishes to become a member of the Association;

iii) Review the gradings of all members at least annually;

iv) Review from time to time, the Code of Conduct and Complaint Procedure and shall make recommendations in respect of those matters to the AGM.

5. Disciplinary Action against Judges.
The Committee shall have power to discipline judges who have been found to breach The Code of Conduct, or who have behaved in any manner unbecoming of a Solo Piping Judge, including the power to suspend temporarily or to remove judges from the list of judges, according to the guidelines of the Association’s Complaints Procedure.

The Chairman will act within the remit of the agreed Complaints Procedure and will ensure that a record of events for all complaints is maintained.

6. Retiral
A judge wishing to retire from the association for any reason should inform the committee. A judge should retire if the ability to judge effectively is impaired. Reasons might include difficulty sustaining concentration or memory impairment. It is incumbent on the judge to inform the committee in suchcases. If this is not done and there is evidence of such impairment, the committee may, following due consultation and discussion with the judge concerned, remove the name of that judge from the list.

7. Meetings.
6.ii) subject to clauses 6.vi) and 9

i) Ten, or one quarter of the total membership of the Association, whichever is the lesser, but including at least 3 members of the Committee, shall form a quorum at all meetings of the Association.

ii) Voting shall be by show of hands, unless a majority of those present decide that any particular vote shall be by ballot. Decisions of the Association shall be made by a simple majority and in the event of equality of votes the Chairman (or the acting Chairman of the meeting) shall have a casting or additional vote.

iii) The Association shall normally meet twice each year, one of the meetings being the Annual General Meeting. The Chairman and Secretary shall have discretion to call further meetings if they consider it to be in the interests of the Association. The Secretary shall give the members not less than 21 days’ written notice of the meeting.

iv) The Annual General Meeting shall transact the following business:

• to receive the Chairman’s report of the activities of the Committee during the previous year;
• to receive and consider the reports of the Committee for the previous year and the Treasurer’s report as to the financial position of the Committee;
• to elect the officers;
• to decide on any resolution notice of which shall have been given in writing to the Secretary not less than 14 days before the meeting and shall have been notified by the Secretary to Members not later than 7 days before the meeting;

v) a special General Meeting shall be called within 28 days of receipt by the Secretary of a requisition in writing signed by not less than 5 Members, stating the purposes for which the meeting is required and resolutions proposed.

vi) A member may vote for or against a written resolution, or any amendment proposed thereto or such resolution as amended, which is before the Annual General Meeting or before a Special General Meeting either in person or by proxy. The instrument appointing a proxy shall be in the following form, or in a form as near thereto as circumstances permit:-

Solo Piping Judges Association

I, _______________________________ of _______________________________

being a member of the above Association, hereby appoint _______________________________

of _______________________________ being a member of the Association, or failing whom the Chairman of the meeting, as my proxy to vote for me on my behalf at the (annual/ special) general meeting of the Association to be held on __________ day of __________ 20__ and at any adjournment thereof.



Signed this _________ day of __________ 20__.


Signature _______________________________

This form is to be used *in favour of the resolution/ *against the resolution (here identify the resolution to be voted on).

8. Sub Committees
The Committee may from time to time appoint from among their number such sub-committees as they may consider necessary and may delegate to them such of the powers and duties of the Committee as the Committee may determine.

9. Finance
The Annual subscription shall be such sum as shall be determined from time to time.

All monies payable shall be received by the Treasurer and deposited in a bank account in the name of the Association. There will be at least 1 (one) other signatory for the account. The Committee shall have power to authorise the payment of expenses to any Member and to any other person or persons for services rendered to the Association. The financial transactions of the Association shall be recorded by the Treasurer in such a manner as the Committee think fit.

10. Alteration of the Constitution
This constitution may be altered by resolution at an annual or special meeting provided that the resolution is carried by a majority of at least two-thirds of Members present.

11. Dissolution
In the event of dissolution of the Association any monies remaining will be distributed to piping causes.

28/11/18