The Eco Glamping Club

The Club’s Constitution & Code of Conduct has been created to demonstrate how the club, and its members will work together and was agreed on 31^st August 2023.

For the purposes of This Constitution and the day-to-day Business of the organisation, The Club shall be governed by English Law and the non-exclusive jurisdiction of the English Courts.

Definitions

• The Club – The Eco Glamping Club
• Member(s) – A member shall be any real person who has applied to join and been accepted. Once approved, they will be granted benefits of The Club Membership for the applicable period.  Membership and thus access to club benefits will not be unduly withheld.
• Membership – The period of time in which a member has been approved by The Club
• Site – Sites which are being investigated to become / or are a lawfully Certified Site by The Club and which are operated in strict accordance with The Club’s Terms and Conditions, Codes of Conduct and this Constitution.
• Exempted Organisation – An organisation which has been exempted under paragraph 5  to award Certified Sites Certificates to landowners / Operators by Natural England for 12 months.
• Certified Sites Certificate – Certificates awarded by the Exempted Organisations that allow a landowner or Operator to use their land for the purposes of recreation, siting up to 5 caravans for a period of 12 months.
• Club Council – The appointed Board of Directors of The Glamping Club who will ensure that the Aims and Objectives are properly and satisfactorily discharged.
• Operator – any person lawfully operating a Club-site – i.e. the named person or persons responsible for the management of any site (may include land owners, tenants or leaseholders, managers or appointed and / or other authorised individuals).

Purpose

The Eco Glamping Club was created to encourage planet-conscious holiday-makers to think about how they could spend time exploring the world without negatively impacting the planet.

An estimated 11% of global greenhouse gas emissions are due to tourism, and that’s predicted to double by 2050. Three-quarters of this impact can be blamed on flights and city hotels. We believe the tourist industry must take responsibility for the damage holidays are doing to the environment by offering viable alternatives that do not negatively impact the planet.

The mental and physical health benefits of an off-grid escape are well known. The Camping and Caravanning Club surveyed members and 8 in 10 people thought camping brought their family closer together; 76% of kids had more hugs than usual and 96% of them said they felt happier when playing outdoors. However, as a club, we recognise that traditional camping and caravanning does not appeal to all audiences.

Mintel reported that four in ten people keen to explore the great outdoors have an average salary of £50k. This sector typically enjoy holidays that have a level of luxury more akin to hotel-style accommodation. At the same time, this sector is also becoming more receptive to environmental challenges and are looking for ways to minimise and offset their carbon footprint.

The Eco Glamping Club provides the answer. It offers off-grid breaks at chosen locations that take you closer to nature, allow you to spend time with family and friends and helps you understand the impact of environmental challenges

Each Eco Glamping Club site will offer only positive impact on the land, with no permanent structures. We will also encourage rewilding, water capture and composting to support the natural environment as well as support the relevant endeavours of our landowners (for example purchasing local produce or helping with manual labour).

We believe that by creating, facilitating and supporting quality sites whilst building a strong and sustainable Membership, we can run a successful organisation that is mutually beneficial for members, landowners and the organisation itself.

Aims & Objectives

• To create an organisation which is business-like, conscientious and responsible in all its’ endeavours and undertakings and is fair and accessible to all.
• To grow and evolve The Club, its reach and offering so as to attract as many Members as possible.
• To ensure a ‘duty of care’ to all Members of The Club and to ensure Membership is available to any person regardless of sex, gender, age, disability, ethnicity, nationality, sexual orientation, religion, or other beliefs.
• To ensure that Members and Operators adhere to The Club Constitution.
• To enable rural landowners, occupiers, stakeholders and entrepreneurs to create new recreational campsites that support The Clubs focus on luxury, comfort, style and eco-credentials.
• Facilitate recreational, carbon-neutral breaks in the British Countryside
• Encourage enjoyment of the natural environment
• Raise awareness of environmental issues and educate ways in which we can protect the planet
• Support individuals, families and friends to spend time together
• To connect landowners, local businesses and Club Members – facilitating lawful, sustainable and harmonious breaks which benefit the local area
• To promote Certified Club Sites through any combination of; website marketing, exhibitions, advertising and promotion through the press and all forms of media, by organising and administering internal and external competitions, awards or other means of recognition by wider society.
• To receive donations, seek grant funding and / or to form partnerships or enter into business arrangements for the pursuit of the objectives of The Club and to grow and improve the same.
• To offer, provide and charge fees accordingly for commercial advisory and marketing services to the tourism sector in general – so as to generate profits for the benefit of The Club and to reinvest those profits where appropriate.
• To support and work with other similar recreational and related organisations or businesses whose objectives and aspirations are parallel and / or complimentary to those of The Club.
• To work with allied organisations to further the Great British tourism industry and to encourage international travellers to experience the Great British countryside as a primary destination.
• To regularly review and improve club management practices, to strive to enhance / add to members benefits and to ensure that any fees and associated benefits remain commensurate with demand and services offered.

Membership

• Any person aged 18 or over is eligible to apply to become a member organisation.
• An applicant for Membership must submitted via website or dated application forms to The Eco Glamping Club.
• On application to join The Eco Glamping Club, members will agree to accept the terms of this Constitution and for the full duration of the Membership to abide by the Codes of Conduct that The Club has adopted and published
• Where applicable (unless otherwise agreed in writing) – annual Membership fees will be due at the commencement of Membership and are due in advance without exception. Unless otherwise agreed, failure to remit fees on demand will result in immediate termination / discontinuance of membership.
• Where approved, Membership shall apply to a registered household address and all persons normally resident within that address. The initial applicant shall be considered the primary member. Membership is non-transferable.
• The Club shall endeavour to process and approve Membership applications as quickly as practicably possible.
• Until an applicant is approved for membership, he/she is not entitled to any of the privileges of the club.
• Certified Sites Certificates can only ever be issued by The Glamping Club Officers.
• Certified Sites Certificates are only awarded if applicants are able to demonstrate and / or The Club research proves:
  • Proposed sites are not subject to a direction under Article 4 of the 1995 Order.
  • Enforcement action is not in effect.
  • Objection by local authorities or residents cannot be resolved

• Sites must always be supervised by the member specifically named for that site.
  
• Units must not be sited in any way which might interfere with local residents or their properties including visual or noise disturbance.
  
• Units must not interfere with nature conservation, or landscape of any site.
  
• Sites can only be used for the designated length of time specified in the agreement with The Club.
  
• No more than five Units can be situated at one Site and each unit must allow for a good level of privacy.
  
• Sites cannot be marketed for festivals, parties etc – the focus is on quiet, off-grid escapes
  
• All units will display clear fire prevention guidelines, have smoke and carbon monoxide monitors and designated plans for the event of a fire.
  
• Clear access for emergency vehicles must be available at all times to each and every pitch with a clear route of no less than 6m width available from the entrance
  
• A maximum speed limit of 5mph applies to all Club sites.
  
• Units should have an eco-focus and be able to demonstrate minimal carbon impact through the use of some / all of the following:
  • Solar panels
  • Double glazing
  • Waterless toilet
  • Water saving measures
  • Energy efficient lightbulbs
  • Natural insulation
  • Repurposed materials
  • Eco heating solutions
• Should a site be deemed unsuitable, comprehensive feedback will be supplied which outlines the reasons why it is not suitable a Member site.
• All approved Members and Operators accept the Constitution and Code of Conduct and will sign Terms and Conditions. Any member found to be in direct breach of Club Rules, Constitution or the Code of Conduct, or whose behaviour, affiliations or actions may be detrimental to the Club name or to any other member, will (subject to a right of appeal) be automatically and immediately suspended – and may, in extreme circumstances, be permanently excluded from The Club.  The decision to suspend a member will be communicated in writing with clear explanation as to the position of The Club and The Club will not be held in any way liable for any financial or other loss faced by that Member.
• Members and Operators support cultural diversity, compassion and individual rights of freedom, self-expression and human rights. The Club will not tolerate any form of discrimination against any person or group on the grounds of race, gender, religion, colour, sexuality, sexual orientation, age, ability or disability, social status or due to being a part of any other non-political and peaceful minority group whether ethnic or otherwise. This applies to any form of speech or action whether physical or virtual and especially hate speech.
• Any Member or Operator may terminate their own Membership at any time without prior notice by phone or email. This involves cancelling with immediate effect, any Certified Sites Certificate that may have been issued without refund.

Complaints procedure

• The organisation will take reasonable steps to minimise disturbance with a reduced number of units, strict noise policies, no pets policy and will highlight the countryside code of conduct to all visitors.
• All complaints to The Glamping Club will be investigated and dealt with on an individual basis.
• A named officer of The Club will ensure the Certified Sites Certificate is available for display and inspection.
• A named officer of The Club will be available by telephone and email if there are any reasons for complaint. Members should address this directly with the named officer and if it cannot be resolved then it will be raised with the Directors.
• If members would like to escalate complaints, they will be directed to Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR). Although we do not participate in an ADR scheme, one such scheme is provided by Consumer Arbitration.
• Where, in exceptional cases, an agreement cannot be reached we would give serious consideration to relocating to a more appropriate site.