Our AGM is almost here!

Ferryhill Community Centre is a community led organisation which means the community of people who use the centre collectively decide how it should be run. 

At the moment it is governed by a Management Committee (MC) but we are hoping to become a registered charity in the near future and when that happens the Management Committee will change to a Board of Trustees. 

Being a member of a community centre association usually means you’re formally part of the organisation that exists to support, govern, and sustain the community centre. 

What membership typically gives you:

• A say in big decisions: voting at AGMs/EGM/SGMs on things like MC/trustee appointments (who will be appointed to the MC/board and who will be the chairperson, secretary etc), accounts, major rule changes, and sometimes big projects or leases.

• Democratic accountability: the staff team run the centre day-to-day, overseen by the MC but association members can question, challenge, and ultimately vote.

• Access to information: members can usually receive AGM papers (annual report, accounts) and attend the AGM. They'll also be emailed our newsletters and important updates. 

• Eligibility to stand for the management commitee: At each AGM all MC/board members shall retire from office and shall be eligible for re-election. At the AGM association members can stand (nominate themselves, or be nominated by the membership) to join the MC/board. The association members then vote on whether or not they want the nominee to be on the MC/board. 

• A formal connection to the centre: it signals community backing and can help with funding, partnerships, and legitimacy.

What membership typically involves

• Agreeing to the constitution/rules (the “objects,” conduct expectations, and how meetings work).

• Keeping details up to date (name, address/email).

• Acting in the centre’s best interests (especially at meetings and votes).

Important distinction: member vs trustee/director

• A member is like part of the wider electorate of the organisation.

• An MC member/trustee is part of the governing body with legal duties and responsibility for decisions, compliance, and finances.

Why centres have memberships at all

• To ensure the centre is community-led, not controlled by a small closed group.

• To create a transparent governance structure funders and councils trust.

• To build a base of supporters who can shape the centre’s future.