1. Name
The name of the Association shall be "Dartmoor Preservation Association".

2. Boundaries
The area of Dartmoor for the purposes of the Association shall consist of the Dartmoor National Park plus bordering parishes.

3. Objects
The objects of the Association shall be:
(3:1) The protection, preservation and enhancement in the public interest of the landscape, antiquities, flora and fauna, natural beauty, cultural heritage and scientific interest of Dartmoor.
(3:2) The protection and preservation of public access to and on Dartmoor subject to the ancient rights of commoners.
(3:3) The preservation in the public interest of the Dartmoor Commons and for this purpose to assist and co-operate with the commoners and any organisation in achieving this object
(3:4) The study of and the recording and publication of information upon the antiquities, history and natural history of Dartmoor.
(3:5) The study, in co-operation with other bodies, of future trends on Dartmoor and the putting forward of ideas to ensure their development along lines in harmony with the above objects.
(3:6) The acquisition of land and rights over and interests in land for the purpose of object No. (3:1).
(3:7) The doing of all such acts and things as may be conducive to the foregoing objects and as may lawfully be done by a body established for charitable purposes only.

4. Membership
(4:1) Persons may join as life members or as annual subscribing members and shall be bound by the constitution of the Association.
(4:2) All applications for membership shall be made in writing in a form approved by the Executive Committee
(4:3) All members shall be expected to abide by the objects of the Dartmoor Preservation Association.
(4:4) The Executive committee shall have the right to terminate the membership of a member who is deemed not to abide by the objects of the Association, provided that the individual shall have the right to be heard by the annual general meeting before a final decision is made.
(4:5) Only members of the Association may hold office or be elected to the executive committee.

5. Subscriptions
(5:1) The amount of the annual subscriptions and that for life members shall be decided at the annual general meeting.
(5:2) Annual subscriptions shall be payable in advance and be due on joining and then on the anniversary of joining except that existing members whose renewal date is 1 January will continue to use that date.
(5:3) No person shall have the privileges of membership until his or her subscription for the current year shall have been paid, and membership shall be deemed to have lapsed if the member's subscription remains unpaid six months after it is due.

6. Annual General Meeting
(6:1) There shall be an annual general meeting of members of the Association, which shall be held in May, at a time and place to be fixed by the executive committee.
(6:2) The date appointed for the annual general meeting shall be published in the Association's newsletter not less than two calendar months before that date.
(6:3) Notice of the annual general meeting, stating the text of any motion to be moved thereat, shall be given to all members of the Association not less than 14 days before the meeting. In the case of motions to alter the constitution 21 days notice shall be given.
(6:4) The notice of the meeting shall include the agenda, any nominations as officer or member of the executive committee, and a copy of the balance sheet and statement of accounts for the previous year (which shall have been audited by the date of the annual general meeting).
(6:5) The accidental omission to give notice of a meeting to, or the non-receipt of notice of a meeting by, any member shall not invalidate any proceedings at any such meeting of the Association.
(6:6) The functions of the annual general meeting shall be:
a. To receive the secretary's (chief executive's) report and the audited statement of accounts for the previous year;
b. To elect the officers, and the executive committee (other than those members who are not retiring that year);
c. To elect the auditor;
d. To consider and vote on any motion which has been duly submitted to the meeting;
c. To deal with any other business by leave of the chairman of the meeting.
(6:7) Nominations for election shall be proposed and seconded in writing by members of the
Association, or may be made by the executive committee, and in any case shall be received by the Association secretary, together with the written consent of the candidate to serve if elected, by 31st March preceding the annual general meeting.
(6:1) No motion other than those relating to the secretary's report and the accounts, or other formal business shall be moved at the meeting unless:
a. notice thereof in writing signed by the members who propose to move and second it shall have been received by the secretary by 31st March preceding the meeting and the text of the motion with the names of the proposer and seconder shall have been included in the notice to members, or
b. the chairman of the meeting is satisfied that exceptional circumstances made it desirable that a motion, of which such notice has not been received, shall be moved at the meeting.
(6:9) Every member shall be entitled to one vote at the annual general meeting of the Association and to speak thereat.
(6:10) Voting an the annual general meeting shall be by show of hands unless a ballot of those present is demanded by:
a. the chairman of the meeting, or
b. any six members of the Association who are present.
(6:11) There shall be a quorum at the annual general meeting when not less than two per cent of the current membership is present.

7. Extraordinary General Meetings
(7:1) An extraordinary general meeting of members of the Association may be summoned at any time:
a. by the chairman, or
b. by not fewer than nine members of the executive committee, or
c. by not less than two per cent of the current membership.
(7:2) Notice of such a general meeting, stating the purpose of the meeting and the text of any motion to be moved thereat, shall be given to all members of the Association not less than 14 days before the meeting.
(7:3) The provisions of clauses (6:9-11) shall apply for extraordinary general meetings.

8. Officers
The officers of the Association shall consist of a president, chairman, vice-chairman, secretary (chief executive), assistant secretary (administration), assistant secretary (membership) and treasurer The secretaries and treasurer shall not be members of the executive committee but shall be entitled to attend meetings of the committee. All other officers shall he members of the executive committee and shall be eligible for membership of such other committees or sub¬committees as shall be duly appointed.

9. Executive Committee
(9:1) The affairs of the Association shall he administered and managed in accordance with this constitution by the members of the Executive committee, and
(9:2) The Executive committee shall consist of not more than 16 members, being:
a. The president, chairman, and vice chairman;
b. 12 individual committee members;
c. The chairman of the London and South East DPA Group.
(9:3) No member of the Executive committee shall acquire any interest in property belonging to the Charity (otherwise than as a trustee of the charity) or receive remuneration or be interested (otherwise than as a member of the Executive Committee) in any contract entered into by the Executive committee.
(9:4) All Members of the Executive committee shall be entitle to vote. The chairman shall have a second or casting vote.
(9:5) Members of the Executive committee (with the exception of the officer members, the chairman of the London and South East Group and co-opted members) shall retire after three years service but shall be eligible to stand for re-election.
(9:6) The Executive committee shall meet at least four times in every year and one third of members shall form a quorum.
(9:7) The Executive committee may appoint such sub-committees and for such purposes as it thinks desirable. All recommendations of such subcommittees shall be put to the Executive committee as soon as possible.
(9:8) The Executive committee may from time to time co-opt not more than four additional members to serve, for one or more meetings of the Executive committee, until the next annual general meeting, without power to vote; no person shall be co-opted unless in the opinion of the Executive committee he or she is specially qualified to serve, having regard to the objects of the Association.
(9:9) The Executive committee shall have power to fill officer vacancies and any person so appointed shall retire immediately before the annual general meeting but shall be eligible for re-election.

10. Accounts
The Executive committee shall comply with their obligations under the Charities Act 1993 (or any other statutory re-enactment or modification of that Act) with regard to:
a. the keeping of accounting records forte Charity;
b. the preparation of annual statements of account for the Charity;
c. the auditing or independent examination of the statements of account for the Charity; and
d. the transmission of the statements of accounts of the Charity to the Charity Commission.

11. Annual Report
The Executive committee shall comply with their obligations under the Charities Act 1993 (or any statutory re-enactment or modification of that Act) with regard to the preparation of an annual report and its transmission to the Charity Commission.

12. Annual Return
The Executive committee shall comply with their obligations under the Charities Act 1993 (or any statutory re-enactment or modification of that Act) with regard to the preparation of an annual return and its transmission to the Charity Commission.

13. Holding Trustees
(13:1) The Association may, by resolution at a general meeting, appoint holding trustees for the Association and direct that the property of the Association shall be held by and in the name of such trustees.
(13:2) The holding trustees shall have power to hold land.
(13:3) There shall beat least three holding trustees, who shall be members of the Association.

14. Honoraria
The Executive committee shall have power to pay its secretaries and treasurer as it shall from time to time think fit, such honorarium or honoraria of such amount or amounts as it shall consider expedient.

15. Alterations to the Constitution:
(15:1) Subject to the following provisions of this clause the Constitution may be altered by a resolution passed by not less than two thirds of the members present and voting at a general meeting. The notice of the general meeting must include notice of the resolution, setting out the terms of the alteration proposed.
(15:2) No amendment may be made to Clause One (the name of the Charity), Clause Three (the objects of the Charity), Clause 9:3 (Executive committee members not to be personally interested), Clause 16 (Dissolution) or Clause 15 (this clause) without the prior consent in writing of the Charity Commissioners.
(15:3) No amendment may be made which would have the effect of making the Charity cease to be a charity at law.
(15:4) The Executive committee should promptly send to the Charity Commission a copy of any amendment made under this clause.

16. Dissolution:
Upon the dissolution of the Association the surplus funds and property remaining after discharging all the liabilities of the Association shall be transferred, subject to the consents required by law, to some charitable purpose or object to be chosen by the resolution of the meeting at which the resolution to dissolve is passed and in default for charitable purposes.