Legal and Administrative Issues
This is where we tell you the fascinating legal and administrative stuff about the
Rough-Stuff Fellowship, including our rules, just in case you wanted to know. We
also offer you some important information about insurance.
Legal Information
The Rough-Stuff Fellowship Limited is a company limited by guarantee, registered
in England and Wales, Number 4127423. The registered address is Pinecroft, Lodge
Lane, Chalfont St. Giles, HP8 4AQ.
Our rules are called the Memorandum and Articles, and they govern the way the Fellowship
operates.
The members of the Rough-Stuff Fellowship voted to incorporate as a company in 2000,
and in effect became The Rough-Stuff Fellowship Limited as of 1 January 2001. We
still use the name The Rough-Stuff Fellowship for normal purposes. The reason for
incorporation is to provide a layer of legal protection to the volunteers who administrate
the Fellowship, in addition to our insurance policy. When we were an unincorporated
association, the officials (and other members) of the Fellowship were potentially
liable for uninsured losses of the Fellowship, however caused. Some officials were
unhappy about this risk, given our increasingly litigious society, and it was reducing
the number of people willing to volunteer. However members will be reassured to know
that limited liability status is not a blanket protection for irresponsible administrators.
A company limited by guarantee is, by law, a non-profit organisation. We have no
shareholders. To comply with the law, our rules provide that we do not pay dividends
or otherwise make distributions of profit. Even if we close down, we must bequeath
any remaining assets to a similar organisation or to a charity.
In order to obtain this status, the members of the company have to make a guarantee
in the event of the company's insolvency. This is the token sum of one pound mentioned
on the application form. Prospective members will be comforted to know that the company
has no borrowings and has, through the generosity of members past and present, some
reserves to see us through difficult times.
Insurance Issues
We all know that cycling is an activity where from time to time people get injured
or worse. The Fellowship has an "organiser's liability insurance" which covers the
Fellowship's negligence in organising events, albeit only the cycling aspect of the
events. Indeed, it only seems responsible that if a person should be injured or damaged
through the Fellowship's negligence in arranging an event, then they should be protected
by an insurance policy.
The Fellowship's insurance policy does NOT cover members or other persons against
accidents which are their own fault, the fault of persons acting on their own part,
or pure accidents. Responsible cyclists will take out a third party insurance policy,
which covers them against claims from other riders and other persons. How would you
feel if you made a misjudgement which caused your fellow cyclist to be injured in
a crash, and you did not have the insurance to compensate their injury? Most members
obtain their third-party cycling insurance by joining the Cyclists' Touring Club.
Sometimes it is available through a household insurance policy. If you are concerned
about obtaining no-fault compensation for yourself in the event of an accident, then
a variety of personal injury policies are available on the market.
Administration
The President and three Vice-Presidents are the spiritual leaders of the Fellowship.
The highest authority in the Rough-Stuff Fellowship are the members themselves, exercised
at the Annual General Meeting. The AGM generally takes place on Easter Saturday during
our Easter Meet, the biggest event on our calendar. Acting under the members' instructions,
the Directors are the next level of responsibility, and any major decisions during
the year will be taken by the Directors. There are currently three Directors.
The everyday administration of the Fellowship is through the Executive Committee.
The Executive Committee usually meet on the Saturday Evening of the Autumn Meet weekend,
to which all members are cordially invited, whether they wish to ride their bicycles,
or to join us in arguing the toss. The Executive Committee is also responsible for
membership matters, and for advising the Directors. We also are exceptionally grateful
to a number of other non-executive officials, who carry out all sorts of valuable
jobs for us, like running this website, arranging our journal advertisers, and providing
our route library service.
