Name of Group: Friends of Badock’s Wood

Aims and Objectives:

The Group aims to ensure that:

• Badock’s Wood Local Nature Reserve (LNR) is maintained and protected as a nature reserve for the mutual benefit of both wildlife and people;
• Badock’s Wood public open space and its historical, geological and other features are maintained and protected

To fulfil these aims, the Group will:

• Liaise with Bristol City Council’s Parks Department to ensure a high level of care for Badock’s Wood LNR and Public Open Space and to have a positive input into how the site is managed
• Provide opportunities for involvement by as many individuals as possible, particularly local residents, by way of running events and activities promoting the valuable aspects of Badock’s Wood particularly, but not exclusively, the wildlife and natural value
• Provide a friendly and welcoming community focus for people interested in the preservation of Badock’s Wood as a community asset
• Contribute to making Badock’s Wood a safe and inviting place to visit
• Encourage more considerate behaviour and greater respect for Badock’s Wood by the local community
• Contribute to the management of Badock’s Wood, including the protection of any wildlife habitats and to promote the importance of urban green spaces
• Research and collect information relevant to the wildlife and history of Badock’s Wood
• Contribute to the conservation of the historical and geological features of Badock’s Wood open space and LNR
• Work with Bristol City Council and other bodies (such as TCV, English Nature, English Heritage, Environment Agency, Wessex Water), and local community and voluntary organisations, to ensure that the effects on Badock’s Wood are fully considered in any plans or developments for the surrounding areas



Membership and Equality:




Membership is open to anybody with an interest in Badock’s Wood, or its immediate surrounding area.




The Group will achieve this objective by ensuring that membership is as widely publicised as possible and promote the fact that membership is open to everyone. The Group is not Party political and is open to all.




Members are those whose names held on the FOBW electronic mailing list in accordance with the Data Protection Regulations in force at any time. There is no Membership Fee.




Organisation:




All Meetings are open to all Members of the Group. Individual Members will be elected to the following posts on the Management Committee:




Chair – to act as the main contact and spokesman for the Group and will also keep Meetings fair, unbiased and on time.




Vice Chair – to stand-in for the Chair, as and when necessary.




Treasurer – to be responsible for maintaining a bank account for the Group, holding the cheque book, keeping receipts and a record of all income/expenditure for the Group. Two signatures will be required on any cheques issued by the Group.




Secretary – to be responsible for correspondence, general group e-mails, and arranging Meetings, circulating Agenda, Minutes and Notes etc.




Other co-opted (non-elected) post holders, for supporting duties, can be nominated as and when these additional (non-executive) roles are deemed necessary. The post holders do not need to be elected and the posts would be created in order to discharge particular tasks, be they short or long-term. Such roles could be (but not exclusively):




Group Archivist – responsible for maintaining records of Badock’s Wood and FOBW and other relevant information and lodging them with bodies such as BRERC as appropriate.


Minutes Secretary – to be responsible for taking Minutes/Notes at Meetings.




Membership & Publicity Coordinator – to help the Secretary maintain a Membership database, recruitment and publicity etc




Management Plan Coordinator – to take the Management Plan forward, liaising with the Council and other FOBW Members to ensure delivery of all aspects of the Plan.




Volunteer Coordinator – to maintain a list of active volunteers and to keep in touch with them. Arrange training and workdays, as required, and ensure that a suitable Risk Assessment is completed (and signed) prior to any volunteer activity session. The Volunteer Coordinator would also manage enquiries from large organisations who wish to offer Community Volunteering in Badock’s Wood as part of their team-building ethos.




Projects Coordinator – to be the focus for liaison with outside Agencies to progress funding opportunities for any major projects and to take the lead in pursuing these opportunities to a satisfactory conclusion.




Webmaster – to maintain the FOBW website and upload data, as required.




Quartermaster – to hold, maintain and issue FOBW’s tools and equipment.




All practical work to be carried out by the Group will include a Risk Assessment that is agreed with Bristol City Council in order to meet the conditions of the Council’s Public Liability Insurance. Each Work Party will have a Leader trained in the safe use of tools (the Leader will not necessarily be the Volunteer Coordinator). It is expected that there will be several Group Members who will be suitably accredited to compile Risk Assessments.




Meetings




There will be an Annual General Meeting (AGM) at which the Group’s finances and activities will be reported and the Management Committee elected. Changes to the Constitution can only be made at the AGM or at an Extraordinary Meeting called by 5 signatories.




The AGM will be held in March each year, following due Notice of 14 days.




As far as possible, decisions will be reached by consensus rather than by voting.




The Group will hold Ordinary Meetings as necessary – probably up to 6 times a year. Members of the Group can call an Ordinary Meeting by notification to the Secretary of 5 signatories.




There will be standing invitations to Bristol City Council’s Parks Department and Avon & Somerset Constabulary to attend these Meetings.




Management Committee




The Management Committee is responsible for the day to day affairs of the Group. The Management Committee shall have delegated authority to incur expenditure up to £100 without prior agreement of the Group.




Vacant Management Committee posts can be filled at any time during the year but any such vacancies must be ratified by elections at the next AGM.




The Committee will meet at least 4 times a year and will be open to any member to attend by prior notice.




Dissolution




In the event of a dissolution, any assets held by the organisation shall be given to other organisations of a similar nature. A motion for dissolution requires a two-thirds majority at an AGM or special general meeting called for that purpose.




Issue 6: Adopted 13 March 2018

Site last updated July 2023