BuildHub

We have been contacted by a company doing research for the national grid grid connection process. Essentially National Grid is currently looking at improving their website for people wanting to connect their properties to the grid. They're looking for people to try out/test a new application form. If you fancy helping, this is the link: https://www.userlab.co.uk/homebuilder-research

This banner is here as part of the Keyfob offer, supporting young enterprise and the forum. You can find out more about HERE. BuildHub is a non-profit, self-funding forum, run by volunteers. We've grown steadily over the years to become the UK's largest (and certainly best!) self-building and renovation forum. While the unpaid contributions of our volunteer managers, administrators and moderators help reduce our running costs, we still have unavoidable direct expenses, such as software and hosting. Unusually for a forum of our size - we recently registered our 14,000th member - BuildHub does not accept sponsorship or run ads as a way of covering our outgoings. We therefore occasionally turn to you, BuildHub's wonderful members, to ask for donations. If you are able to make a financial contribution at this time, it would be very much appreciated. There is no minimum or suggested donation amount, and even a small donation will have a positive impact. Donations via PayPal can be made to the following email address. Please remember to select 'gift' / Friends & Family or Paypal will charge fees. fundtheforum@buildhub.org.uk You can also request the forums bank details, please PM @newhome for those details and let her know of your donation. We'll post again once we've received sufficient donations to cover expenses due in the foreseeable future. BuildHub's Treasurer, @newhome, manages our funding account. Could anyone wishing to make a donation please send her a PM with your email, username, and the amount that you have pledged so she can confirm receipt of the funds and log your donation accordingly? All donations will be treated as confidential. If you can offer any skills that may assist with the support of the forum, please contact either Herb (@HerbJ) or Mike (@MikeSharp01) for details about how you can help. Accountancy and Technical skills, such as Linux or forum software administration, experience would be particularly valued or if you would just like to help more generally please feel free to get in contact. Thank you, as always, for your ongoing support.

We’d just like to say a great big thank you !! With all of your kind and generous donations, we can keep BuildHub advert free and continue operating for the benefit of all of the members. Your financial support is gratefully received and we would like to thank you for supporting us in continuing to grow and develop the forum. Financial support is not the only way that you can help us - if you can offer any skills that may assist with the support of the forum, please contact any of the FMG for details about how you can help with forum supporting services. BuildHub and the FMG would like to take this opportunity to say thank you for your ongoing help and support. Without your participation, this forum simply wouldn't exist. Thank you.

The Forum Management Group would like to wish you lots of success with your projects this year. We now have over 2000 members and would like to welcome more. Many new members say that they found us by accident or when they ran into an issue with their project so we are running a poll to help us understand how members locate us. Please complete the poll, and help to spread the word that this forum exists. We also seek suggestions of how we can make the forum more visible, being mindful that we don’t have money to throw at advertising this free to use forum and we try to keep the forum free of commercial adverts. The more contributors we have the better the forum becomes as the topics and responses will be more varied, and cover a better range of questions and solutions. So if you are a lurker who hasn’t yet posted we would encourage you to do so and share your knowledge and experience. With your help we can make BuildHub even better. Thanks Forum Management Group

CONSTITUTION FOR THE MANAGEMENT OF THE BUILDHUB FORUM AS AN ASSOCIATION OF MEMBERS ADOPTED ON: 13th March 2017 1. Name The name of the Association shall be: FORUM MANAGEMENT GROUP, 2. Aims The aims of the Association shall be to: operate and manage the BUILDHUB FORUM as an online discussion forum on topics related to building, renovation and self-build, together with the facility for members to host blogs, and to provide a knowledge base that can be easily accessed by members. 3. Powers In order to achieve its aims the Association may: a) Raise money b) Open bank accounts c) Do anything that is lawful which will help it to fulfil its aims 4. Membership a) Membership of the Association is open to any qualifying member of the BUILDHUB FORUM. b) BUILDHUB FORUM members are eligible for membership of the Association subject to them having been either of the following: i) a member of the FORUM FOUNDATION GROUP, ii) an active BUILDHUB FORUM member for a period of at least 6 months, and have a contribution total of at least 100 posts. c) Eligible members may apply for membership of the Association at any time. Membership of the Association will thereafter be confirmed by a simple majority vote of voting members of a general vote of association members. d) Every individual registered member of the FORUM MANAGEMENT GROUP shall have one vote at General Meetings, which may be held online as a part of the FORUM MANAGEMENT GROUP normal activity. e) The membership of any Association member may be terminated for good reason by a vote of two-thirds majority of the voting members of a general vote of association members. Any such Association member should be notified prior to any vote and have the reasonable right to canvas voting members before said vote. 5. Management a) The Association shall be administered by a Management Committee of Officers and not more than five other members elected from the Association's membership at the Group’s Annual General Meeting. b) The Officers of the Management Committee shall be: the Chairperson, the Technical Officer and the Treasurer. c) The Management Committee shall meet as required online, but no less than four times a year. d) The Chairperson shall Chair all meetings. In his absence, a temporary chair will be elected from those present. d) The quorum for Management Committee meetings shall be 3 members. e) Voting at Management Committee meetings shall be by using an online vote. If there is a tied vote then the Chairperson shall have a casting vote. f) Committee members may be removed for good and proper reason, subject to a two-thirds majority of the voting members of a general vote of association members. Any committee member proposed for removal should be notified prior to any vote and have the reasonable right to canvas the voting members before said vote. g) The Management Committee may appoint another member of the Group as a Committee member to fill a vacancy provided the maximum number is not exceeded. 6. Duties of the Officers a) The duties of the Chairperson are to: i) chair online meetings of the Committee and the Association ii) act as spokesperson for the Group when necessary iii) be the publisher, as defined for the purposes of an on line publication iv) prepare the agenda for meetings of the Management Committee and the Association as required. v) ensure that the electronic record of online meetings are retained as required b) The duties of the Technical Officer are to: i) manage the forum software, hosting and such configuration as may be required to provide the functionality needed to ensure the smooth running of the forum ii) to manage such changes to the forum software as may be required so as to provide the functionality that has been agreed at any meeting of the Management Committee. c) The duties of the Treasurer are to: i) supervise the financial affairs of the Association ii) keep proper accounts that show all monies collected and paid out by the Association 7. Finance a) Any money obtained by the Association shall be used only for the Association. b) Any bank accounts or electronic accounts opened for the Association shall be in the name of the Association, or if that proves impractical, in the name of the current Treasurer. c) Any cheques issued shall be signed by the Treasurer and one other nominated official. d) Approved electronic payments may be made as agreed by the Management Committee 8. Annual General Meeting a) The Association shall hold an on line Annual General Meeting (A.G.M.) in the month of March, or annually as agreed b) All members shall be given at least fourteen days’ notice of the A.G.M. and shall be entitled to attend online and vote. The quorum for an A.G.M. shall be 6 members. c) votes will be decided by simply majority. If there is a tie, the chairman will have a casting vote. d) The business of the A.G.M. shall include: i) receiving a report from the Chairperson on the Association`s activities over the year ii) receiving a report from the Treasurer on the finances of the Group iii) electing the Management Committee and iv) considering any other matter as may be decided. 9. Special General Meeting a) A Special General Meeting may be called by the Management Committee or by any 6 members to discuss an urgent matter. The Chairperson (or other duly nominated person) shall give all members fourteen days’ notice of any Special General Meeting together with notice of the business to be discussed. b) All members shall be entitled to attend on line and vote. c) Votes will be decided by simply majority. If there is a tie, the chairman will have a casting vote. 10. Alterations to the Constitution Any changes to this Constitution must be agreed by at least two-thirds of those members present online and voting at any General Meeting. 11. Dissolution The association may be wound up at any time if agreed by two-thirds of those members present and voting at any General Meeting. In the event of winding up, any assets remaining after all debts have been paid shall be given to another Group with similar aims. This constitution was adopted at an on line general meeting of the Forum Foundation Group on 13th March 2017 Signed by: Chairperson : @PeterW (Peter Whitlam) Technical Officer : @TerryE (Terry Ellison) Treasurer : @Nickfromwales (Nick Hooper) Officers for 2020 - 2021 Chairperson : @Stones Technical Officer : @PeterW Treasurer : @newhome

In May 2016, a group of fourteen volunteers (the Forum Foundation Group) founded BuildHub. Our aim was to build a non-profit, online community of self-builders and renovators who would learn from, share with, and support each other through the building process. We’re proud to say that in less than a year, BuildHub has grown from 14 to over 400 members, and continues to grow at a steady pace. Longer term, we always planned for BuildHub to be member operated and managed. To this end, we recently created the Forum Management Group (FMG) and drafted an updated Constitution that outlines how BuildHub is to be operated and managed in the future. FMG Constitution Importantly, the revised Constitution allows any qualifying forum member to apply for membership of the FMG. We’d encourage all forum members to read the FMG constitution. If you’d like to participate in the running, development and evolution of BuildHub, please contact us. As BuildHub members will be aware, we don’t have advertising on the forum. BuildHub was created and initially financed by the founding members. While overheads remain relatively low due to founding members donating their time and professional expertise, there are costs associated with running, managing and hosting a modern forum. We are keen to retain BuildHub’s ad-free status, and intend to move to a donation-only model to cover the forum’s running costs. Rest assured, donations will be entirely optional, and will only be sought as required. The FMG is not constituted to make a profit for itself or its members - it is merely a vehicle to manage BuildHub’s continued operation. If you would like to donate, the link is here - Funding the Forum We think BuildHub is already the best self-build forum on the web. As we continue to grow and evolve, the FMG will look to its members to understand what is needed so that we can continue to support the self-build and renovation community. How BuildHub evolves will be down to you, the members, so if you have any ideas, please get in touch. With this change in Constitution to allow new members into the FMG, we welcome your help in making BuildHub even bigger, better and more fun. Thanks Forum Management Group