Changing our Constitution

A special members meeting was held on 20 July to discuss a number of proposed amendments to our constitution - the Society’s governing document.

The amendments, all of which the meeting endorsed, are given in detail in this document.

The principal change, to come into effect as from our 2026 Annual General Meeting, is to reduce the number of members of the executive committee - from 12 and 6 - and to introduce a limit on the period for which any one may serve as a trustee.  In recent years the 12 person committee has increasingly been drawn into discussing detailed operational matters as well as the key issues - setting the strategy and direction of the Society, establishing and monitoring budgets of our activities - that should form the core of the trustee role. It has also generally been impossible to find meeting dates when all 12 members, several of whom are  also professional musicians, could come together. As we look to expand and broaden our activities over the coming years we felt that the Society’s work might be better directed and managed by a smaller group clearly focussed on the trustee role with smaller, more flexible working groups dealing with operational matters.

We are introducing a term limit for trustees because  with a smaller group it will be important to encourage some turnover in its members to renew the range of expertise and experience that they bring to the role.  We are delaying making this change until 2026 to allow time to prepare thoroughly for this way of working and to ensure that we establish a new committee that is well equipped to carry forward the work of the Society and well represents the diverse backgrounds and interests off our members.

The other changes mostly have to do with the conduct of committee and members’ meeting and will come into effect from our 2025 Annual General Meeting to be held on 16 November 2025.

Any questions about the changes should be addressed to secretary@bdrs.org.uk

As we prepare for these changes, we warmly encourage BDRS members to consider volunteering to help with the running of BDRS. Your time, skills, and enthusiasm can make a real difference in supporting the Society’s activities and future growth.

To be in touch about joining the BDRS committee, please email secretary@bdrs.org.uk