They are subordinate to:- The Articles of Association Committee decisions made since the date of approval above (and documented in the meeting minutes) Committee decisions made before the date of approval above on matters about which these Regulations are silent.
They take precedence over:- Committee decisions made before the date of approval above.
CONTENTS
A – Relationship with
the British Sub Aqua Club
B – Membership
C – Diving Activities
D – Committee matters
E – Equipment
F- Social Activities
G – Premises
H- Bar
I – Finances
J – Risk Assessment
K- Welfare
L- Changes to the
Regulations
A –
Relationship with the British Sub Aqua Club
Under
clause L2(b) below, these Regulations shall contain no references to the
relationship between St Albans Sub Aqua Club and the British Sub Aqua Club.
B – Membership
Membership Rates and Categories [3/6/19]
Full Diving Membership £140
50% discount for concessions (see B10)
Includes the use of all Club facilities
Trainees may have extra
costs. See B5
Family Membership
included. Spouse and up to three children (under 18) included (Swimming
Membership benefits only). Own children only. All must be registered with
Membership Secretary. (See B9).
Snorkelling
Full Snorkelling Membership £96
Family Membership additional £34. Spouse and up to
three children (under 18) included (Swimming Membership benefits only). Own
children only. All must be registered with Membership Secretary. (See B9)
50% discount for concessions (see B10)
University Snorkeller – £12. In full time education
requiring living away from home during term time.
Includes:-
· use of the Clubhouse
· use of Cottonmill
Pool,
· use of Westminster
Lodge pool.
· all club equipment and
facilities relating to snorkelling
coxing (or assisting with coxing) whilst in support
of club diving or snorkelling
But excludes:-
activities directly related to diving (including
the compressor, scuba diving cylinders, regulators).
Swimming Membership £75
Family membership additional £55 – Couple and up to
three children (under 18) included (Swimming Membership benefits only). Own children
only. Extra children £5 each. All must be registered with Membership Secretary.
Winter membership – £35. Valid October to March
only. (11/3/19)
Includes:-
· use of the Clubhouse
· use of Cottonmill
Pool,
But excludes:-
· use of Westminster
Lodge pool.
activities directly related to diving or
snorkelling (including the compressor, boats, scuba diving cylinders,
regulators).
Social Membership £27
Includes:-
use of the Clubhouse, including the bar and the
poolside,
But excludes:-
· use of Cottonmill
Pool,
· use of Westminster
Lodge pool.
activities directly related to diving or
snorkelling (including the compressor, boats, scuba diving cylinders,
regulators).
Social members may, subject to BSAC membership,
suitable qualifications, the Club’s rules, and the Insurer’s requirements, cox
the Club Boat on diving or snorkelling expeditions.
Westminster Lodge Swimming Membership £96
Benefits are
identical to Snorkelling membership, except that there is no expectation of
snorkelling activities. The club no longer offers this class of membership.
Voting
Rights and Membership of the British Sub-Aqua Club (see Article B1)
Adult
members of any category, who are also members of the BSAC have full voting
rights. (Class 1)
Adult
members of any category, who are not members of the BSAC have restricted voting
rights. (Class 2)
Members
under 18, of any category, regardless of BSAC membership have no voting rights.
(Class 3)
Junior
Membership,
Junior
Membership (under 18) entitles the member to all the benefits of a Full Diving
or Snorkelling Member except as restricted below, and shall only be available
to those who are the responsibility of at least one Responsible Adult who
must:-
be
a member of the Club and (23/09/13 – DO Report)
agree
to accompany the Junior Member on all Club trips (excluding pool training and
theory lessons) to take responsibility for the Junior Member’s welfare and
discipline, and be either:-
the
Junior Member’s parent or legal guardian, or
another
adult, who with the agreement of the Club and the Junior Member’s parent or
legal guardian, is willing and able to act “in loco parentis”.
The
minimum age will be 12 for Junior Diving members, and 8 for Junior Snorkelling
members [23/09/13].
Junior
Members will automatically become Full Members on their 18th birthday, and
shall have full rights and obligations from that date.
Junior members may not:-
serve at the bar,
buy or consume any alcohol on Club premises
stand for election to the Branch Committee or as a director
vote (see Article B1)
attend the Clubhouse, or use Cottonmill Pool unless
accompanied by a Responsible
Adult except by special permission of the directors. .
Membership
of Parent Organisations:-
All
diving members must maintain BSAC membership, and all snorkelling members must
maintain either BSAC or BOA membership. [22/07/19]
All
memberships run for one year from 1st April – new memberships at other dates
are pro-rated
Trainees
also pay the following costs when they join:
Course
materials and administration – £73 (March 09)
Kit
hire – Refer to clause E18
There
are no other direct costs for training although trainees are expected to cover
instructors’ daily costs when visiting open water sites.
BSAC
membership may require a medical self
–certification.
The
above costs do not include BSAC/BOA membership rates
Family
Membership is available to parents and children who reside at the same address.
Includes all children under age of 18 unless the children are
snorkellers/divers in which case they pay the relevant amount for their own
membership.
The
Concessionary rate is available to:-
those
who are
State
pension age [11/02/13] or over, or
under
18, or
under
23 and in full time education on 1st April of the membership year
others
suffering hardship (at the discretion of the committee)
Payment
by instalments shall generally not be allowed, except in cases of genuine
hardship in which case the Membership Secretary is authorised by the Committee
to collect the full amount in any reasonable way.
Guests
Guests may be invited
up to three times a year, as well as to an unlimited number of ticketed events.
They are entitled to use all facilities available to Social Members (see above)
but must obtain permission from the Diving Officer, or the appropriate
director, before using any additional
facilities.
Each member may invite a maximum of three guests at a time. A family
counts as one member.
Guests of Swimming Members may use the buildings (excluding pool) only.
They are not permitted onto the poolside except by special permission of the
committee (for example, organised BBQs). [25/9/18]
Non-member snorkellers using the Club’s pool facilities at Westminster
Lodge will be charged £4 per person per session. A list of all such persons
must be supplied to the Club in advance. (10/1/11)
Definitions
Clubhouse
– The club’s buildings on Cottonmill Lane, St Albans.
Cottonmill
Pool – The Club’s own swimming pool at Cottonmill Lane, St Albans.
Westminster
Lodge pool – Use of the facilities at Westminster Lodge leisure centre for the
periods that have been hired by the Club.
Waiting List
The Club may limit the number of members in any category, and may need
to maintain a “waiting” list for applicants. The Club shall determine
how this list is to be administered – whether by a queuing or lottery system –
and may prioritise certain applicants at its sole discretion. [3/6/19]
Applicants
applying for Swimming membership who are (or who are the spouse or child of)
current established Diving or
Snorkelling members, or who are
applying for Winter Swimming Membership, would not normally be expected
to join the waiting list (at the sole discretion of the club). [3/6/19]
In order to avoid applicants bypassing the waiting list, those joining
as snorkelling (or diving?) members, must either have some qualification, or be
in training. [Oct 2018]
No refund will be given to new members who drop out of training mid
course, unless there are exceptional circumstances. The club is unable to
refund external costs such as BSAC membership, training packs etc. [11/3/19]
C- Diving Activities
When dive trips are advertised on the
board, or by word-of-mouth to other members, it must be made clear if any
member(s) of the trip is benefiting (eg a free or discounted place) or if costs
are not being allocated equally.
Members must be aware that if they put
their names onto a list for a dive and do not pay a deposit, they are only
registering their interest in the trip. Until they pay a deposit, they have not
reserved their place. (22/07/19)
The club will assist with the
organisation of an interesting and progressive programme of diving and will
provide support as detailed in Appendix Three. (9/11/09)
The official in charge of the (Westminster
Lodge Pool) session, shall be the Diving Officer, or any other competent member
appointed by the Diving Officer.
Free swimming during the Westminster
Lodge pool session is only permitted during the first 20 minutes of the session
and shall be in the designated roped off area of the pool only. Divers will
keep to the near side during this period. Underwater Hockey shall not commence
until after this 20 minute period. Masks or swimming goggles shall be worn by
swimmers after the 20 minute period, and they shall not use the area roped off
for underwater Hockey unless taking part. This rule will be applied or waived
at the discretion of the Pool Marshal on the night.(26/01/12)
The Club Boat(s) may only be coxed by a
Member who
holds
the minimum qualification of BSAC Diver Cox’n, RYA Level 3 powerboat, or
equivalent as approved by the Diving Officer., or
is
under the instruction or supervision of such a Member, or
is
a Competent Boat Handler (defined as a Member who has successfully completed
the BSAC Boat Handling Course or equivalent) and who is coxing the boat ONLY
for the duration of the qualified Diver Cox’n’s dive.
The Club Boat(s) may be used by
snorkelling members, but diving members have priority. (22/01/18)
D – Committee
Matters
Any MAJOR motion carried at a General Meeting (AGM or EGM) cannot be subsequently changed by the Committee, except where this is not possible due to safety or legal reasons – which must be notified to the general membership. [EGM 30/10/13]
E – Equipment
Kit only for the use of FULL DIVING
MEMBERS OF SASAC and not for friends / partners etc.
Kit is be returned clean / washed
Any faults arising during its use must
be reported to the equipment officer as soon as possible so that effect repairs
can be made
All kit on loan / hire from SASAC will
be the responsibility of the person who signs for it. Any losses or damage
apart from fair wear and tear will be charged to the person responsible for
that kit.
A loan period will be from a Wednesday
to a Wednesday and will be charged at currently £5 per piece of kit.
All kit must be returned before the start
of the pool session time so it can be used for training, unless agreed in
advance.
It is the responsibility of the person
signing for the kit to ensure it’s serviceability before leaving the club
house.
SASAC committee reserve the right to ask
a member NOT to fill any cylinder, even if it is in test if they believe it to
be in a dangerous condition. The Committee decision on this will be final.
The Air cupboard is for the use by any
FULL DIVING MEMBER of SASAC.
Training
for this is freely available and a written set of instructions are posted on
the inside if the air cupboard door.
The
cylinders filled MUST be in current structural test in accordance with IDEST
test regulations.
The
air station is rated to 232bar, any SASAC member filling a cylinder with a
lower working pressure then 232 bar MUST be in attendance at all times.
AIR/
NITROX can be filled to 300 bar but this is only available through the blending
panel in the compressor room so must be done by a qualified nitrox blender and
they must be in attendance at all times.
SASAC
members must not fill cylinders for non-club members.
SASAC
can supply air / nitrox fills to non members, but only by prior arrangement
with Equipment officer as they will be charged for.
Access
to the compressor room is strictly controlled. For safety reasons as the
compressor will start with out warning.
Access
to the Oxygen is only available to qualified Nitrox blenders that are
registered with SASAC. We will accept any training agency Blending certificate,
but any one NOT trained within the club will have to pass a competency test
first.
Kit
Hire Prices
New members for the duration of their ocean diver training In the pool / open
water
FREE
[22/07/19]
Ocean Divers, from the time they qualify for
one year. Kit must be signed out and returned after each use.
£65
[22/07/19]
Instructors training any grade of diver both
pool and open water
FREE
Any committee member using club kit either
pool or open water if available
FREE
Anyone
else either receiving training or pleasure diving open water
£5
per item
Club
kit can be used by anyone who is suitable qualified on a Wednesday evening as
long as it is available
FREE
Clause deleted
Open water club regulators
have a maximum working depth of 20m. (2/8/10)
Members (or non-members) may advertise their own diving equipment for sale on the club noticeboard. (18/10/10) or on the club website. They may not bring equipment for sale to display at the club.
F – Social Activities
Children’s parties shall be limited to a maximum of
ten children. [Sept 2018]
G – Premises
Any member is entitled to free hire of the premises
for any event, provided that
it is available
the event is open to all members, and
has been advertised
the hiring member can arrange setting
up, clearing away and bar staff
it is for members and their guests
only
Club hire rates are (revised in SS
Report 11/03/19):
Bar £50
Pool £80
Lecture
Room £50
Rates are per session (morning, afternoon, evening)
and may be varied at any time by the Committee.
Exceptional costs (for example extra rubbish
collections, special cleaning etc) are not included in the above rates and will
be charged separately. [29/10/12]
Rules regarding private hire etc.
Licensing laws must be adhered to.
The bar must close and the premises vacated on time.
Refer to clause H2 below – Only
alcoholic drinks purchased at the bar may be consumed on the premises.
(Licensing Act 2003 62(6))
It is illegal to smoke inside the
clubhouse. Smokers please use the car park at the front., not the poolside
[15/07/13]
The pool cannot be hired for private
exclusive use at weekends or public holidays from 1 June to 30 September.
Bar staff are all unpaid volunteers.
The Club cannot therefore guarantee that they will be available. It is the
responsibility of the hirer to ensure that bar staff and keyholders to
open/close are available, and if no Members are available to run the bar, the
bar cannot open
Although it is illegal to give the
bar staff “pecuniary benefits” (money), the hirer might like to consider
thanking the bar staff by non-monetary means. (maybe free drinks or a small
gift).
Although members are requested not to
access the premises during a private hire (e.g. to fill cylinders or pick up
equipment), this cannot be guaranteed. [03/06/13]
Read and understand section H of the Articles.
Any member is entitled to a set of keys to the
premises. These keys shall be restricted to those necessary to enter the
building and provide access to the poolside, unless prior approval of the
committee has been given for access to the bar, bar store, compressor room,
equipment storage room, or any other restricted area. Keys are charged out for
a one-off fee of £25 [15/07/13], of which £10 is a deposit, refundable upon
return of the full set of keys. This deposit shall be retained if the keys are
not returned within one year of the member leaving the Club. These charges to
be waived for members whose official positions required them to have keys.
[23/09/13]
Deleted (03/04/17)
In the event of the intruder alarm being triggered
while the premises are unoccupied, the system will automatically send a
recorded message to a number of volunteer keyholders. The nature of their
response will depend on the circumstances, but no keyholder may attend alone.
The Alarm System Response Procedures are set out in APPENDIX TWO, which, for
security reasons, is not for general release to members or the general public.
It shall be restricted to members of the Committee, or any such person that the
Committee shall authorise. (19/10/09)
H – Bar
The Considerate Neighbour Policy, referred to in
clause H8 of the Articles: requires the following actions to be taken no
later than 11pm on all evenings that the Club is open:-
all external doors and windows to be
closed.
external poolside lights to be turned
off
all members and their guests to move
inside from the poolside or the car park
music to be turned down to a level
that will not cause disturbance
members and their guests must leave
the premises quietly
Alcohol
shall not be supplied to members on the premises otherwise than by or on behalf
of the club.[Licensing Act 2003 s 62(6)]
It
should be remembered that members of Clubs or Associations, who are attending
an official event at the Club, are not full members, and are not permitted
behind the bar.
I – Finances
Members
spending their own money on behalf of the Club should ask the Treasurer for
reimbursement using the official expenses form (19/5/11) (See Appendix Five),
which will be made promptly. Money must not be taken from the bar till to
reimburse expenses.
For
official club training dives only (dives that are open
to all divers and logged and approved by the DO (7/4/11)), instructors may claim
back from the Club the costs of entry fees to diving venues such as Stoney
Cove. (18/10/10)
J- Risk Assessment
See
the separate Risk Assessment file. The
latest Risk Assessment was approved by the Committee on 16/04/18.
All
use of Cottonmill Swimming Pool shall be in accordance with the Pool Safety Operating
Procedures (Separate Document).
Non-members
(including dogs – 04/08/14) are not permitted to use Cottonmill Swimming Pool
without special Committee permission. (13/01/14). This restriction does not
apply to guest instructors who are also BSAC members. (28/04/14). Private hire
guests are only permitted to use Cottonmill Pool if a qualified lifeguard is
present. (05/09/16)
Any
electrical equipment used on the poolside must be plugged into sockets which
are protected by a LCD device. (02/11/15)
There
is an accident book kept on the premises, which must be used to keep a full and
proper record of any accident or incident which may occur at the clubhouse and
(Cottonmill) pool. (26/06/17)
The
use of snorkels by children of Swimming Members is not permitted. (26/06/17)
All
members who are entitled to use Cottonmill Pool must attend the compulsory
Safety Briefings. (3/6/19)
K – Welfare
Policy
The
Club’s Privacy Policy is shown at Appendix Four. (18/10/10)
L – Changes
to these Regulations
These Regulations may
be amended by the Committee at any properly constituted Committee Meeting, or
by any other means that are in accordance with the Articles of Association
These are low level
regulations, and must not contain anything relating to:-
The
Club’s incorporation as a Limited Company
The
Club’s relationship with the British Sub-Aqua Club
The
supply of alcoholic beverages, or any other matter relating to the Club’s
licensing under the Licensing Act 2003.
Any other matter which
would create an obligation to notify, or send a copy of these Regulations to,
any external body.
APPENDIX
PROTOCOL FOR CLUB SUPPORT FOR DIVE TRIPS
The club wants to assist with the organisation of an
interesting and progressive programme of diving and will provide support at
three levels. As with all such programmes the club reserves the right to review
these terms at any time. In all cases these facilities are only available to
diving members of the club.
Training Dives
It’s unfair on a training officer to book trips on
their own account and thus the club will book
these in its own name and take responsibility subject
to the following criteria:
• A maximum of three boat bookings will be allowed
each calendar year, of a maximum
of four days each or a total of 12 days
• The support will only extend to diving activities,
not accommodation.
• The trips will be held open for trainees and
instructors until four weeks before the
event when they will be opened up to club membership
generally.
• The TO may book these dives only in consultation
with the DO
• The club will pay the deposits for the dives and
take responsibility for the final
payment. However it is expected that all deposits will
be collected within a short
period of people booking on dives and the final
payment will be collected four weeks
before the dive takes place so that last minute drop
outs do not cost the club money
General Dive Trips
The club will provide cash flow support only for
general diving trips in the UK and all
bookings remain the financial responsibility of the
organiser. This is
designed to allow the booking of diving trips pending collection of deposits
from participants and therefore will always be a relatively short term
commitment by the club. The following criteria must be followed:
• The club’s overall exposure at any one time under
this facility will be £5000. The
facility can only be used to make deposit payments as
it is expected that trip
participant will pay their share of the final costs in
time for the organiser to pay the
provider
• The use of this will be subject to Committee
approval – but the committee will
consider requests between committee meetings.
• The trip must meet the rules regarding cost
transparency and BSAC safe diving
practices.
• Accommodation will only be included when it is
either part of the overall package or
must be booked at the same time to ensure the trip can
proceed
• Payment will be made to the organiser so that there
is no doubt that the booking is
not in the clubs name
• The organiser will collect deposits from
participants as soon as possible after
advertising the dive
• Any shortfall in numbers on a dive will be the
financial responsibility of the organiser.
• After advertising the dive, the organiser will pay
back the Club in the shortest possible
time, and must in any case pay back to the Club no
later than six weeks prior to the
dive.
• The Committee will review the progress of all loans
on an ongoing basis, and reserve
the right to demand that the money be repaid.
‘
Expeditionary’ Style Trips
If a member of group or members wants to organise a
trip that is out of the ordinary and will require
exceptional support they may put a case to the committee.