Policy on honorary membership and retired numbers

Honorary Membership

1. Honorary membership of BAFRA is the highest award that BAFRA may bestow on an existing member and, as such, it should be seen as an exceptional rather than a regular award.
2. Any qualified member may nominate any person to receive this honour. Such nominations will be made to the General Secretary who will ensure the proposal is debated at the next Executive Board (or if the nomination is received after the agenda has been distributed, at the Executive Board following that).
3. The decision about whether or not to award honorary membership can only be taken by a resolution of the Directors at an Executive Board meeting.
4. If one of the Directors is proposed for honorary membership, this will first be discussed by the Membership Sub-Committee. When the proposal is discussed by the Executive Board, he/she will leave the room whilst the discussion takes place.
5. The normal criteria for honorary membership are:
• The person is a current qualified, affiliate or associate member of BAFRA or has retired from membership within the past twelve months.
• The person has had continuous membership for a minimum of ten years.
• The person has made a major contribution to or on behalf of BAFRA whether at a local or a national level. Examples of this may be long and distinguished service as a Director, a member of committees, a scheduling officer or other behind the scenes activities. The Directors will assess the frequency and complexity of those duties in coming to a decision.
6. The Directors may vary these criteria if they believe the circumstances to be exceptional.
7. Honorary membership is not awarded for excellence at officiating, although this may be recognised in other ways.
8. The decision on each honorary membership will be made on its own merits by the Directors. There is not an automatic right to honorary membership.
9. The member’s number, name, and a short summary of the member’s contribution to BAFRA shall be recorded in the electronic Member’s Handbook. An Honorary Member shall be presented with a certificate recognising their achievement at the Annual General Meeting following their award.
10. The General Secretary will maintain a master list of all members and their membership category.
11. An honorary member is exempt from payment of any subscription to BAFRA for the duration of their honorary membership except that any fees to meet external payments such as BAFA membership or CRB checks may remain payable.
12. Honorary membership will be granted in the same category in which the member is registered at the time of the award. If honorary membership is awarded to a recently retired member, they will initially be offered membership as an honorary affiliate. Honorary members may change their category in the same way as other members of BAFRA.
13. An honorary member shall have all of the rights and privileges of any other member of the same category. They are also subject to the same constraints and obligations as any other member of the same category.
14. Honorary membership shall cease upon:
• The General Secretary being notified of the death of the member.
• The honorary member resigning.
• The honorary member being expelled from BAFRA for disciplinary reasons.
• The General Secretary having no contact from that member for seven years.

Retired Numbers

1. The decision about whether or not to retire a number can only be taken by a resolution of the Directors at an Executive Board meeting.
2. The normal criteria for a members number to be retired are:
• The death of that member
• The person’s membership was current at the time of their death
• The person had been a member for a minimum of five years at the time of their death.
3. The Directors may vary these criteria if they believe the circumstances to be exceptional. This may include such things as a serious career-ending injury to a current member, or a membership that had recently lapsed during the terminal illness of a member.
4. Each retirement will be made on its own merits by the Directors. There is not an automatic right for numbers to be retired.
5. The member’s number, name, and a short memorial or other appropriate entry shall be recorded in the electronic Member's Handbook.
6. The next-of-kin of a deceased member who has his/her number retired will be notified of the actions taken by the General Secretary if such contact details are available and it is considered appropriate by the Directors.
7. The General Secretary will maintain a master list of all allocated and available numbers. Such a list will include a reference to any numbers that have been retired.
8. None of the above prevents the Directors from instigating an alternative memorial to a deceased member, such as a commemorative award, should they think it appropriate. Such a memorial may be in addition to or instead of retiring the member's number.
9. If a number is not retired, the General Secretary shall not re-issue the number of a deceased member for a minimum of ten years following the date of death.