The Fife Seed Library was constituted as an unincorporated association on 20th July 2025. The following is our formal governing document, which all members agree to abide by.
1. Name
The name of the group shall be Fife Seed Library.
2. Objectives
The objectives of the group shall be:
2.1 Offer people in Fife free access to organic, open-pollinated seeds.
2.2 Grow a library of diverse seeds adapted and resilient to the Fife climate.
2.3 Develop skills, knowledge and resources related to seed saving, biodiversity, soil health and sustainable growing and gardening practices across the region.
2.4 Cultivate seed stewardship to build climate, food and community resilience.
2.5 Participate in international, local and Scotland-wide seed networks and exchanges.
2.6 Connect seed saving in Fife to marginalised practices, cultures and histories of earth care and land resistance, here and around the world.
3. Powers
The group shall have the following powers to:
3.1 raise funds and apply for, invite, obtain, collect and receive contributions, grants, subscriptions, fees and loans.
3.2 employ, contract with, train and pay staff (whether employed or self-employed) to supervise, to organise and carry on the work of the organisation, and dismiss such persons as appropriate.
3.3 engage the services of professional advisers, facilitators, coaches and consultants to assist in the work of the organisation, and to pay properly incurred professional remuneration where appropriate.
3.4 engage the services of volunteers to assist in the work of the organisation and reimburse approved out-of-pocket expenses.
3.5 hire, rent, lease and own property and equipment necessary to achieve the objectives of the group.
3.6 affiliate to any local or national group or association that the Management Committee decides is appropriate and disaffiliate from any group or organisation if continued affiliation be, in the Management Committee’s view, against the interests of the group.
3.7 hold a bank account in the name of the organisation.
3.8 purchase and maintain insurance of all kinds.
3.9 do all such other lawful things as are necessary to achieve or further the objectives of the group.
4. Membership
4.1 Membership of the group shall be open to individuals and organisations who are interested in furthering the objectives of the group and who agree to abide by the group’s code of conduct.
4.2 Full members are individuals over 16 who ordinarily reside in Fife, or organisations which exclusively or primarily operate in Fife.
4.3 Junior members are individuals 16 and under who ordinarily reside in Fife.
4.4 Associate members are organisations and individuals outside of Fife who are interested in furthering the work of the group.
4.5 Any person who wishes to become a member must complete a written application for membership and submit it either in person, by email, or via the website; the application will then be considered by the Management Committee at its next meeting. To improve accessibility, the Management Committee may also complete a membership form on a person’s behalf with that person’s verbal consent.
4.6 The Management Committee may, at its discretion, refuse to admit any application to membership.
4.7 The Committee must notify each applicant promptly of its decision on whether or not to admit them to membership.
4.8 All full members may attend and vote at the Annual General Meeting and shall be eligible for election to the committee. Organisational members shall only have one vote and one Committee representative per organisation.
4.9 The Committee may terminate the membership of any member breaking the rules of the group or bringing the group into disrepute. The member concerned shall have the right to be heard by the committee before a final decision is made.
4.10 The Management Committee may, at any time, issue notices to the members requiring them to confirm that they wish to remain as members of the organisation, and allowing them a period of 28 days (running from the date of issue of the notice) to provide that confirmation to the Management Committee. Absent the confirmation, the Management Committee may terminate the membership.
5. Equal opportunities, inclusion and diversity
In relation to its objectives, the group aims to operate as a safe and inclusive space. We will:
5.1 Strive to avoid intentional and unintentional discrimination by virtue of any of the protected characteristics identified in the Equality Act 2010, and any other characteristics which subject individuals to systemic disadvantage, at the discretion of the Management Committee.
5.2 Proactively welcome, enable and facilitate participation by individuals from minoritised, underrepresented and structurally disadvantaged groups.
5.3 Take a zero-tolerance stance on harassment, bullying and exclusion, including racism, homophobia, transphobia, sexism, ableism, classism, misogyny, fatphobia, or any other form of bigotry, in physical and online spaces hosted or managed by the organisation, and provide a clear procedure for complaints and incident reports.
5.4 Undertake whatever changes in organisation or facilities may be necessary to implement the above.
6. General Meetings
The Annual General Meeting
6.1 The Annual General Meeting of the group shall be held once a year. This shall be held not more than fifteen months after the holding of the preceding AGM.
6.2 At least 14 days notice shall be given to all members.
6.3 The business to be transacted at the Annual General Meeting:
(i) receive the Annual Accounts
(ii) receive the Annual Report from the Committee
(iii) election of committee and officers as applicable
(iv) appointment of independent examiner/auditor (if necessary)
Ordinary General Meetings (OGM)
6.4 Ordinary General Meetings are called as needed by the Management Committee, or by 10 or more members making a request to the Management Committee stating the purposes for which the meeting is to be held. All members shall be given 14 days notice of the meeting together with details of the business to be discussed.
Conduct of all General Meetings
6.5 The meeting shall be chaired by the current Chair or substitute member.
6.6 The quorum for General Meetings is one fifth of the membership or 3, whichever is greater.
6.7 Decisions shall be made by consensus. Decisions do not need to be unanimous, but a reasonable attempt must have been made to address substantial concerns or objections before consensus is announced. Ultimately responsibility for deciding when consensus has been reached lies with the Chair.
6.8 Meetings may be held in-person, by phone, by digital means, or a combination (hybrid). Participation in meetings and decisions may be conducted in any manner (verbal or written) by which the participant can reasonably communicate with the other participants.
6.9 Members may instruct a proxy to participate in General Meetings on their behalf from amongst the membership (including non-voting members). Proxy notices must be sent to the Management Committee in advance of the General Meeting.
7. Management Committee
7.1 A Management Committee of up to 8 members shall be elected at the AGM and at their first meeting they shall appoint 3 Officers (Chair, Treasurer and Secretary) from amongst their number.
7.2 Committee members shall serve for three years and a third of the Committee shall retire each year but are eligible for re-election.
7.3 The Committee may co-opt up to 3 persons as full members of the Management Committee, who shall serve until the end of the next AGM.
7.4 The Committee may fill any vacancies among the Officers and any person appointed shall serve until the conclusion of the next Annual General Meeting.
7.5 The Committee shall meet a minimum of 4 times per year, excluding General Meetings.
7.6 The quorum for the Committee is 51% of its current number or 3, whichever is the larger. Decisions shall be made by consensus. Decisions may be made asynchronously by digital means in between meetings by prior agreement of all Committee members.
7.7 The Committee may establish such sub-committees as it feels necessary but such sub-committees shall not enter into legal or financial agreements without the prior authority of the Committee.
8. Funds and Finance
8.1 All funds shall be spent solely on the objectives of the group.
8.2 A bank account may be opened in the name of the group, with at least three signatories.
8.3 All payments must be authorised by the Committee unless otherwise delegated, either in advance of or at the time of releasing funds.
8.4 The financial year shall run from 1st April to 31st March.
8.5 Regular financial reports on income and expenditure shall be made available to the Committee during the year.
9. Amendments to the Constitution
9.1 Amendments to the constitution may be made by special resolution of the members at a General Meeting, of which due notice has been given together with the wording of the proposed amendment.
10. Dissolution
10.1 A resolution to dissolve the group must be passed at a General Meeting.
10.2 Any assets of the group after the satisfaction of all debts and liabilities (including seeking the agreement of relevant funders) shall be given or transferred to an organisation with similar aims.