The Wood-Fired Camping club is focused on our members and enabling camping (in its many forms) as a means of recreation.  

The Club's constitution has been created to demonstrate how the club, and its members will work together.  The constitution was agreed by formal resolution of The Club Council on 1st February 2021.  Any future updates and member consultations about planned updates will be published here;

Name of Club

The Wood Fired Camping Club Ltd (hereinafter referred to as "The Club") is incorporated as a Private Limited Company - registered in England (no. 13193603) - and shall be known as The Wood-Fired Camping Club* (Known hereinafter as “The Club”)

In discharge of its Aims and Objectives the club may also use the trading styles:
Wood-fired Camping*
Wood-fired Glamping*
Wood-fired Forest Camping*
Wood-fired Wild Camping*

Notice is hereby given that the above trading styles (*) are 'trade marks' of The Club.

Definitions

• Club Member - (See "Membership" below) A club member shall be any real person who has applied to join, been accepted and whom has paid up their dues (where applicable) and will in return be granted benefits of Club Membership for the applicable period.  Membership and thus access to club benefits will not be unduly withheld and any renewal will be automatically accepted on receipt of annual dues. 
  NB: Any member found to be in direct breach of Club Rules, Constitution or the Code of Conduct will (subject to a right of appeal) be automatically and immediately suspended - and may, in extreme circumstances, be permanently excluded from The Club.  
• Certified Club Site - Camping sites and / or recreational facilities which may be lawfully certified by The Club and which are operated in strict accordance with The Club's Terms and Conditions, Codes of Conduct and this Constitution.
• Affiliate Site - Any independent or privately operated campsite, recreational or tourism facility which have applied for affiliate status, have been vetted and approved by the Club Directors, or duly appointed Officers of the Club, as being a business operated in a manner compatible with the aims of The Club and which are considered appropriate for promotion to the Club Members. 
  NB: Applications for Affiliation are not automatically conferred on applicant sites and each will be assessed / renewed on an annual basis - although The Club will proactively strive to accept applications and / or approve renewals where requirements are satisfied. 
• This Website - the web site and content hosted by The Club at www.woodfiredcamping.co.uk
• Exempt Organisation - An organisation which has been granted an Exemption Certificate by the Secretary of State for the purposes of siting movable dwellings - pursuant to section 269(6) of the Public Health Act 1936.
• Exemption Certificate - A certificate which, while in force, shall for the purposes of section 269 of the Public Health Act 1936 have the effect of a licence - authorising the use as a site for moveable dwellings of any camping ground belonging to, provided by, or used by members of the Exempt Organisation and / or authorising any member of the organisation to erect or station on any site, and use, a moveable dwelling.
• Great Britain - The Countries of England, Wales, Scotland and any outlying islands or island groups that are part of England, Wales or Scotland.  (Note that The Club is not presently represented in Northern Ireland)
• Club Council - The appointed Board of Directors of The Wood-Fired Camping Club Ltd
• Executive Members - The Club Directors (collectively: the Club Council) - appointed to discharge the business of the club and who will ensure that the Aims and Objectives are properly and satisfactorily discharged.  For the purposes of the Club Constitution, as made, Executive Members are the only Member class to hold voting rights (i.e. Executive Authority).  Directors thus act as Senior Management for The Club and are remitted accordingly.
• Employee - Any person directly employed by The Club to assist with the discharge of day-to-day business activities.
• Club Officer - An Employee of The Club, who is expressly authorised to officiate in specific management tasks on behalf of The Club Council (E.g. Membership Officer, Compliance Officer, etc).   
• Contractor - any individual, organisation or body-corporate engaged by The Club to deliver expressly identified services to The Club Council, Club Members or Sites on behalf of The Club.  (E.g. Solicitors, Accountants, Consultants, Agents, Project Managers, Etc.)
• 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).
• Nuisance - A Statutory Nuisance - as defined within Part III of the Environmental Protection Act 1990.

Club ​Aims

• To promote the experience of recreational camping - in all forms - in the great outdoors and which shall be mutually beneficial for all involved.
• To enable people from all backgrounds to develop a deeper understanding of, and interest in, the Great British countryside - through active participation and practical experience.
• To connect landowners and Club Members - facilitating lawful, sustainable and harmonious camping and related recreational activities.
• To promote sustainable recreational activities which improve health and welfare - both mentally and physically - enabling people to spend as much time in the outdoors as possible.
• ​To encourage people from all backgrounds towards understanding and respect for the natural environment.
• To encourage people to re-establish a connection with wood-fuelled fire for practical benefit and social  enjoyment - whether through communal cooking & eating - or through wider social benefits (derived from say fireside conversation, story-telling, and shared experiences).
• To enable the sharing of knowledge and experience in the safe preparation, application, management and use of wood-fires for beneficial purposes.

Objectives

Preamble: Over the last 15-20+ years The Club Council have noted that the camping sector has seen a proliferation of organisations and clubs that have come about ostensibly to facilitate 'budget' recreational camping through a philosophy of low-cost / light touch service provision.  Correspondingly these organisations have (for the most part) been less than successful in their endeavours.  The Wood-Fired Camping Club has been established specifically to disrupt the sector,  The Council wishes to make it clear that we are not seeking to operate on a shoe-string budget or to behave as charitable outfit (although we do have plans to support worthy causes!). 

​We are fully committed to establishing a successful (business-like) organisation - which will create, facilitate and support quality sites and a strong and sustainable Membership - each of which will endure for years to come.

In short we are committed to operating a business which is mutually worthwhile for Members, Site Operators and the organisation itself.  This certainly doesn't mean that we intend to be profit driven, expensive or an over-priced 'elite' service (far from it).  These objectives are born from a strong desire to operate an inclusive and worthwhile enterprise (and we're not ashamed of it!).  Our objectives are thus as follows:

• To develop a viable organisation which is business-like, conscientious and responsible in all its' endeavours and undertakings.
• To grow and evolve The Club, its reach and offering so as to attract as many Members as possible.
• To operate in a manner that does not set out to offer 'budget', 'low value' or 'cheap' services - but to provide above average service that projects quality first - and which is focussed on generating great value rather than cost savings - especially through professionalism and commercial acumen at every level of operation.
• To ensure a 'duty of care' to all Members of The Club.
• To ensure that Members adhere to The Club Constitution.
• To provide services in a way that is fair and accessible to all.
• To encourage and support innovation and development within the camping sector and allied organisations throughout Great Britain.
• To enable rural landowners, occupiers, stakeholders and entrepreneurs to create new recreational campsites and to enhance existing facilities.
• To ensure that all Certified Club Sites and Affiliate Sites - without exception - provide access to a safe wood-fire facility - or facilities - on site.
  - Note that while visitors / users shall be able to enjoy a wood-fire at any club / affiliate site - they shall not be required to make use of the facility as a condition of their stay.  
• The Club shall seek to obtain and maintain 'Exempt Organisation' status - and to lead the 'bespoke sites' tourism sector in administration and proper application of the authority afforded to such organisations.
• To promote Certified Club Sites and Affiliate 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 purchase, take on, lease or in exchange, hire or otherwise acquire any real or personal property and any rights or privileges which may be necessary or convenient for the promotion of The Club's objects, and to construct, maintain and alter any buildings or structures that may be necessary or convenient to the work of The Club.
• 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 acquire by gift, purchase or otherwise to lease, hold and manage camping sites for the use of its members and by others for reasonable financial considerations.
• To sell, lease, buy, sub-let or dispose of assets of The Club as may be thought expedient to benefit the organisation and its objects.
• To insist on high standards in every aspect of the day to day operation of The Club - and to lay down a code of good practice for members.
• 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.
• To consult with members on pertinent matters and to make decisions with member views in mind.

Membership

Annual Club Membership (referred to as Household Membership) shall be available to any person regardless of sex, gender, age, disability, ethnicity, nationality, sexual orientation, religion, or other beliefs.

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 - for contact purposes - but for the avoidance of doubt anyone living at the same address shall be considered a Club Member.

Membership is non-transferrable to other households.

On application to join The Club, or to renew annual membership, members will agree to accept the terms of this Constitution and any regulations imposed thereby, 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.

The Club shall endeavour to process and approve membership applications as quickly as practicably possible.  Probationary membership shall be automatically granted to new applicants for 14 days following application, however until an applicant is formally approved as a member in writing by The Club (either by post or email) they shall not be entitled to further privileges of membership.

(NB: 'New applicant' means any person / member of any household which has not previously registered or applied to register with The Club).

Voting Rights
Club Membership shall not automatically infer voting rights to members.  Voting rights are vested solely with the Executive Members. 

Club Members shall however be encouraged to participate in Annual General Meetings, and Extraordinary Meetings (by invitation).  As such, any attending members (whether virtually, or in person) at Club meetings will be provided with an opportunity to make representations to the Club Council for their consideration - all of which shall be duly considered and, if beneficial to The Club, shall be acted upon as may be appropriate at the time.

The Executive Members / Club Council wish it to be known that the purpose of restricting voting rights at the present time is solely to enable a dynamic approach to establishment and strengthening of a solid foundation to The Club in its formative years - so as to ensure a long-term and sustainable future for the organisation.  As such, the Club Council remains committed, first and foremost, to growing the Club as a business-like organisation - with a key focus on establishing and improving benefits for its diverse membership. 

Suspension & Termination of Membership
With proper reason and without prior notice, where it is expedient to do so, any member may be suspended by the Club Council or a duly appointed Club Officer - where it is in the immediate interests of The Club to take such action.  During suspension all benefits afforded to the affected Member are nullified.

The decision to suspend a member (including the associated household) will be communicated in writing (by post or by email at the Club's discretion) to the affected party with clear explanation as to the position of The Club.  The suspended member / household will be presented with the opportunity to make written representations by return.  Where appropriate the suspended membership may be immediately reinstated at the Club Council's discretion.

After investigation and if deemed expedient to do so, the membership of the suspended party including the entire member-household may be permanently terminated by resolution of the Club Council.  If any membership is terminated by resolution, The Club additionally reserves the right to permanently exclude the affected household from future membership.  The decision to terminate membership by the Club Council will be made solely to serve the best interests of The Club and its wider membership - and as such any decision made by the Club Council is final.

Powers

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

In its discharge of the business, in seeking to meet its aims and in accordance with this Constitution, The Club may undertake any of the following activities as it sees fit:

• Raise money
• Open bank accounts
• Seek grant funding  
• Take out insurance
• Employ staff
• Operate pension and bonus schemes
• Engage contractors
• Modify company or group structure as may be beneficial satisfying the aims of the Club
• Provide commercial services for financial or beneficial consideration
• Acquire, purchase lease or otherwise and manage land and buildings
• Organise events
• Work with other groups
• Hold and exchange information (subject to GDPR and within the confines of the law)
• Do anything which will lawfully help it to fulfil its aims and objectives

Management

The Club shall be administered by a The Club Council which shall be comprised solely of the appointed Executive Members.

The Club Council shall meet at least 4 times a year - including one AGM (see below)

The Chairperson shall normally be the Club Chairman - unless an alternate is nominated and agreed by the Council prior to the meeting.

The quorum for Council meetings shall be >65% of the number of appointed Executive Members at the start of the meeting.

Meetings may take place at a suitable venue, virtually or by hybrid arrangement - to suit circumstances at the time and at the Chairperson's discretion.

Voting at Club Council meetings shall be by show of hands. If there is a tied vote then the Chairperson shall have a casting vote.

The Club Council may, by a two-thirds majority, for a good and proper reason, remove any Executive Member, provided that person has the right to be heard before a final decision is made (with the exception of legislative disqualification, criminal conviction or untimely death of a member).

The Club Council may appoint additional Executive Members at its discretion - or fill a vacancy - provided the maximum number is not exceeded (that number shall be Seven).  Where possible, to avoid the need for casting votes to be used, the Council shall endeavour to maintain an odd number of Executive Members.

Executive Members agree to make every effort to attend advertised Club Council meetings - The Club will, where possible, aim to avoid scheduling meetings at any time where it is known that an Executive Member is likely to be unavailable or unable to attend.

​Duties

The duties of the Appointed Executive Members are as follows:

​Chairperson:
To Chair meetings of the Club Council
To represent the Club at functions / meetings that the Club has been invited to attend
To act as spokesperson for The Club when necessary

Secretary:
To ensure that minutes of meetings are taken and kept
To prepare the agenda for meetings of the Council in consultation with the Chairperson
To supervise the maintenance of the membership list
To deal with correspondence
To collect and circulate any relevant information within the Club
To work with and or manage employees / appointed officers of the club to achieve the above duties

Financial Officer:
To supervise the financial affairs of the Group
To ensure that the Club Maintain proper accounts in accordance with current legislation
To work with such appointed consultants as may be appropriate to ensure the above is adequately discharged

Annual Meeting

The Club shall hold an Annual General Meeting (AGM) in the month of January each year (unless circumstances prevent this - in which case the AGM shall be held as soon as possible within the same financial year).

All members shall be given at least fourteen days’ notice of the AGM and shall be entitled to attend, and participate (at the Chairpersons discretion).

The business of the AGM shall include:

1. Receiving a report from the Chairperson on the Group's activities over the year
2. Receiving a report from the Treasurer on the finances of the Group
3. Appointing new Executive Members as may be required
4. Considering any other Club matters as may be decided

​All reports and abridged accounts for the previous financial year will be made available with the AGM notice.

At the Annual Meeting (AGM), The Club Council shall appoint or re-appoint a Chairperson, Financial Officer and Secretary (each of which may be assisted by Club Officers, Employees or Appointed Contractors - but note, for the avoidance of doubt, that with the exception of newly appointed Executive Members any additional participants or invitees to meetings do not have voting rights).

Member attendance / participation
All Club Members shall be entitled to attend and, at the Chairperson's discretion, participate in Meetings of the Council, and - subject to prior written request in advance - Members may make representations about any relevant matter (normally allowing up to 3 mins per speaker - which may be varied at the Chairperson's direction).  Where multiple speakers wish to speak on any similar matter, the Chairperson may restrict the number of speakers to avoid interruption to the agenda.  Likewise the Chairperson may consider asking speakers to appoint a spokesperson (allowing up to 15 minutes for collective representations) and / or may defer the matter to be reconvened for consideration at an extraordinary meeting if this is more appropriate.

Special / Extraordinary Meetings

The Club Council may convene additional or extraordinary meetings (Management Meetings) as it sees fit in accordance with 'Management' rules - above.

Club Members and or other participants may (either individually or en-masse) be invited to attend these meetings where it is considered to be in the interest of the members - however a 'right' to attend or participate is not automatic or inferred.

Finances

Any money obtained by The Club shall be used to exercise the Aims and Objectives of The Club.

Any bank accounts opened for The Club shall be in the name of The Club (or any advertised trading styles as may be adopted in future).

Any cheques issued shall be signed by the Financial Officer and one other authorised Executive Member.

​The Club shall perform all undertakings and business in accordance with legislative requirements of the Companies Act 2006

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Code of Conduct - General Principals

Note that specific Codes of Conduct are published as part of the terms and conditions of Membership and are issued to the relevant Member within the application process on request to join The Club.  However, the general principals which must be abided to and known by all are as follows:

Certified Club Sites

NB: The Club is presently seeking Exempted Organisation status from HM Government / Natural England.  At present, the club is unable to confer any certificate / exemption certificate. 

We are anticipating issue of the relevant status in early 2021 - as such the following shall apply to any future 'Certified Club-Site':

Certified Club Sites must comply with written terms and conditions expressly attached to any certificate issued and must in all cases;

• Ensure that the site is used SOLELY by existing / registered Club Members for camping and associated recreational purposes only.
• Provide and maintain high quality facilities appropriate to the expectations of The Club and its membership.  This includes in all cases:
  • Provision of safe drinking water (which must be tested and approved annually),
  • Sanitary ablution facilities (with plentiful hot water available at all times and preferably with flushing toilets (as opposed to earth closets or alternative systems).
    Note it is expected that all sites should strive to far exceed the expectations of 'basic' campsite facilities - our members expect quality and should be expected to have high standards!
• Ensure that no 'development' is undertaken on site without either deemed planning consent, a lawful development certificate or planning permission confirmed and in place.
  Note - a direct benefit of all Certified Club Site Applications (New Sites) aside from site design recommendations is holistic advice from both marketing and retained professional designers / planning advisors - so as to ensure that Club Sites are established to the highest standards and without reproach. 
• Have a representative present on site on arrival - to provide site orientation, supervise compliance with conditions / regulations. and ensure that the guest is well looked after.
• In the case of tented and touring pitches - ensure that the 6m spacing rule is rigorously enforced
  - The Club aim for >15m separation between units in most cases - to ensure privacy and safety
• Ensure that no nuisance arises from the site;
  - Nor should the operator allow activities to occur that may adversely affect neighbours - even if not technically a 'statutory nuisance'
• Ensure that only subscribed Club Members are permitted to stay on site, and so, shall:
  • Obtain and retain a record of each Member that stays - with details of their name, address, duration of stay and membership number.
  • Keep records - which must be made available for inspection by The Club on request at any time - and should be made available for inspection by the Local Authority (with proper notice)
  • Provide visitor records annually - in the prescribed format to the Club Secretary - or, preferably, on a 'per stay' basis - via The Club's online management system.
• Not permit more than 5 'caravans' to be sited on the land at any one time (this includes touring caravans or motorhomes that members use for accommodation purposes);
  • In addition, no site shall allow more than 10 tents to be sited at any given time - unless expressly authorised in writing by The Club
• Not permit the storage of privately owned touring caravans on 'the land'
• Ensure that caravans are removed from the site when not in use (i.e. when the site is closed for business for more than 28 days).
• Prevent any person (Member) from staying on site for more than 28 consecutive nights.
• Not permit any person (Member) to stay on site for more than 52 days in any calendar year
• Provide safe access to wood-fire facilities for all members, at all times during their stay;
  • This to be a minimum of:
    • A single camp-fire style hearth - accessible to all visitors simultaneously, or;
    • An individual wood-fire hearth (or similar facility) for each individual 'pitch' (which may include fire pits or other fire styles - provided that these are suitable for cooking purposes)
      (Charcoal BBQ's, Gas fires, Pizza-ovens, other non-wood or 'imitation' fires do not qualify.)
• Provide and / or ensure plentiful access to a sustainable source of appropriate wood-fuel and kindling - on or near to the site - which guests can purchase at a reasonable price. 
• Shall not unreasonably prevent members from bringing commercially produced fuel / kindling from elsewhere.  But sites may determine what type of materials are to be allowed... (e.g. no waste wood to be brought to site, no burning of Ash / Larch, etc.)
  • As a guide, pricing strategy and quality of materials available on site should discourage members from purchasing, finding or taking fuel from elsewhere...
• Provide and maintain access to plentiful water and suitable fire fighting / safety equipment
• To establish (and enforce) a site wide 'no fire' policy in case of heightened risk (drought etc).
• If applicable - to prepare and maintain a flood plan - see:  www.gov.uk/guidance/camping-and-caravan-sites-minimise-your-flood-risk
• Ensure measures are taken to prevent harm to the environment - ideally implementing a plan for environmental enhancement
• Take out and maintain Public Liability Insurance covering all activities on site (and provide evidence of such insurance immediately on request) 
• Provide water, electrical and HETAS test certificates where applicable;
• Notify The Club of any matter that might affect the way in which the site is operated, including changes of address, proposed changes of ownership,  alterations or addition to facilities. 

​Finally, any Certificated Club Site member should be an active ambassador of the Club and so warrants not doing anything that might bring The Club, The Site, any other site or Club Members into disrepute (individually or as a whole).

Site operators should also make provision for educating members in the skills of building, managing and extinguishing fires (on request - or where assistance is clearly needed!).

Affiliate Sites

In addition to settling the relevant fees in advance, to obtain and retain Affiliate Site status, the relevant site manager / occupier must;

• Ensure that their site holds, retains and complies with the necessary planning and licensing permissions needed to lawfully operate the site.
• Provide and maintain high quality facilities appropriate to the expectations of The Club and its membership.  This includes in all cases: provision of safe drinking water, on-site ablution facilities (with plentiful hot water on tap) and sanitary WC's.
  (Note: it is expected that Affiliate sites should also strive to exceed 'basic' campsite facilities).
• Ensure that facilities are maintained in a safe and sanitary manner AT ALL TIMES.
• Ensure that no statutory nuisance(s) arise from the site.
  - Nor should the operator allow activities to occur that may adversely impact neighbours - even if not technically a 'statutory nuisance'.
• Provide safe access to wood-fire facilities for all visitors, at all times during their stay;
  • This must be a minimum of:
    • A single camp-fire style hearth - accessible to all visitors simultaneously, or;
    • An individual wood-fire hearth (or similar facility) for each individual 'pitch' (which may include fire pits or other fire styles - provided that these are suitable for cooking purposes)
  • Charcoal BBQ's, Gas fires, Pizza-ovens, other non-wood or 'imitation' fires do not qualify as 'wood fires'.
• Provide and / or ensure plentiful access to a sustainable source of appropriate wood-fuel and kindling - on or near to the site - which guests can purchase at a reasonable price.
• Take out and maintain Public Liability Insurance covering all activities on site (and provide evidence of such insurance immediately on request)
• Ensure that water, electrical and HETAS test certificates are available for inspection, where applicable.

Site managers should also make provision on site for educating members in the skills of building, managing and extinguishing fires (on request - or where assistance is needed).

Finally, Affiliated Site members are requested to behave as promotors of the Club - and should encourage non-members to join.  Equally, Affiliate Members warrant not doing anything that might bring The Club or its Members into disrepute.

NB: The status of "Affiliate Member" (or any permutation thereof) should only be considered a 'marketing / promotional affiliation' and no Affiliate Member shall imply or advertise any formal connection with The Club - especially in any way which might be construed as inferring their involvement as a "certified site", "exempted site" or otherwise directly associated with or part of the administration of The Club.

Affiliated sites may only be located in Great Britain - without exception.

Nuisance

Both 'statutory nuisance' - and nuisance that is not technically 'statutory' but that results in detrimental impact on neighbouring amenity - shall not be permitted or tolerated on Club Sites. It is the duty of those operating certified club sites to prevent and, where necessary, act upon / report instances of nuisance to a Club Council Officer.  
​
'Statutory nuisance' includes any nuisance outlined within Part III of the Environmental Protection Act 1990:

• Premises prejudicial to health or a nuisance;
• Smoke arising from the premises so as to be prejudicial to health or a nuisance;
• Fumes or gases emitted from the premises so as to be prejudicial to health or a nuisance;
• Any dust, steam, smell or other effluvia arising on industrial, trade or business premises so as to be prejudicial to health or  a nuisance;
• Any accumulation or deposit which is prejudicial to health or a nuisance;
• Any animal kept in such a place or manner so as to be prejudicial to health or a nuisance;
• Any insects emanating from relevant industrial, trade or business premises so as to be prejudicial to health or a nuisance;
• Artificial light emitted from premises so as to be prejudicial to health or a nuisance;
• Noise emitted from premises so as to be prejudicial to health or a nuisance;
• Noise that is prejudicial to health or a nuisance and is emitted from or caused by a vehicle, machinery or equipment in a street;
• Any other matter declared by any enactment to be a statutory nuisance.

Where an instance of statutory (or other) nuisance - either public or private - has been reported to The Club, an Officer will normally visit the site within 14 days of the complaint to investigate and ensure that the issue is resolved.

The Club will take any breach of conditions or failure of a site occupier (operator) to comply with the relevant legislation and / or conditions of Club membership extremely seriously and will - where appropriate - automatically revoke membership and / or decline any application for renewal where an occupier is in breach of legislation or where past breaches have not been suitably rectified under direction of The Club or their Agents.

Discrimination

The Club has a strict non discrimination policy. Membership of The Club is open to anyone above the age of 18 interested in getting outdoors and participating in camping, regardless of sex, gender, age, disability, ethnicity, nationality, sexual orientation, religion, or other beliefs.

The Club will take any allegations or breaches of conduct regarding discrimination extremely seriously and revoke / terminate membership of any member who is found to have breached Club policy regarding discrimination. 

Breaches of Club Rules / Code of Conduct

​Any complaints regarding breaches of the Club Constitution and Code of Conduct will be taken very seriously by the Club and handled / investigated in accordance with the Club’s Complaints Procedure.

Any alleged breaches of the club constitution / code(s) of conduct must contain material evidence to enable the Club to make full, proper and swift investigation. The Club reserves the right to return or ignore spurious or vexatious allegations; allegations without adequate or appropriate supporting evidence; and / or any complaint that is made on the basis of hearsay or which is un-corroborated.
​
Any member who deliberately, blatantly and / or continues to flout(s) the Constitution and relevant Code of Conduct should expect to receive disciplinary action / termination of membership in accordance with the Club rules.

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Site Assessment Protocol

Ahead of achieving exempted organisation status, The Club has identified its protocol for site selection and certification.  The following cross headings / assessment criteria will be applied to ALL new club-sites:

Points of difference policy & "Automatic Veto" on new sites:

The club will not normally authorise multiple sites to be located within the same immediate locality as such The Club shall operate a policy of geographic distribution based upon a 'points of difference' assessment between potentially conflicting certified-site locations (affiliate sites are excluded from this assessment). 

In summary, a site will only be considered for certification by The Club if proposed facilities are to be substantially different from existing certificated club sites located within a 5 Km radius of the proposed site (i.e. no other sites within ~80 km² of the surrounding area).

For example - If an existing 'tents only' site already exists at "Site A" and another landowner at "Site B" (situated 4 Km away) wishes to establish an equivalent 'tents only' facility, this new proposal would be automatically vetoed from membership.

However if "Site B" were to be proposed for 'Touring Caravans only' (no tents - which would be conditioned), this would be a substantially different offer to the existing site - and so acceptable in principal.   

If however an alternate site - "Site C" - were say 7 Km away, this would be considered substantially distant from the existing club site and this would not result in automatic veto.

Additionally, if "Site A" has a 'no pets' restriction, but the proposal at "Site B" was to be pet friendly, the Club would likely consider the new proposal as substantially different (i.e. catering for a notably different Member audience).  In that case, the veto would not automatically apply - however, the existing Member Site would be invited to make representations (if any) about the new proposal - before any new certificate could be considered.

Road Safety & Access

All site operators will be required to provide safe and adequate road safety and access for members visiting and staying on club sites. Access to the site must be suitable for the number of units / pitches available on the site.

​The following measures should be complied with to ensure sufficient site safety and access.

• Access and egress to and from the site should be agreed to in writing by all parties that have ownership rights to the access / egress point(s).
• 3 metre access routes must be available to emergency vehicles at all times. All units must be within 90 metres of a point accessible to emergency vehicles. 
• The main road to the site should be wide enough to allow two vehicles with towing caravans to pass safely. If the public highway is single track, there should be adequate passing bays to accommodate a car and a caravan.
• Site access / egress should allow for an unobstructed view, in both directions, of at least
  • ​160m In 60 Mph zones (215 desirable)
  • 90m In 40 Mph zones (120 desirable)
  • 43m In 30 Mph zones  (50m desirable)
    (these figures derived from the Design Manual for Roads and Bridges 1992)
• Entrances and exits should be level and well-maintained, so that they are suitable for use in inclement weather conditions.
• Where a site slopes, member vehicles should be parked at right angles to a slope where possible. 
• For site safety, vehicles must travel at no more than 5mph at all times on site.

Spacing & Density

The Club operates the following spacing and density guidance and expects all site operators and members to comply with these measures.

• A ‘six metre’ rule for pitches – all tents and caravans should be spaced a minimum of six metres apart on site. 
  • Pitches should ideally be spaced >15m apart - where possible - to provide improved privacy and 'sense of space' for members.
• Vehicles may be parked between units provided that a 3m clear spaces is left within the 6m gap.
• Any ancillary parts of a tent / caravan must not be less than 3 metres from other main unit or ancillary part. 
• Only one fire per unit and at designated sites is permitted in accordance with strict Club policy.  This is to ensure sufficient spacing between fires and pitches.     

Waste Disposal (including Foul Waste)

​The Club requires all sites to provide sanitary, safe conditions for Members, and to have appropriate systems in place for safe and responsible waste and foul waste disposal.

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Communications & Media

Social Media

The WFCC encourages members to participate in online communities of shared interest, and respect the rights of our members to use blogs and other social media tools (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, LinkedIn, Websites, forums, etc), as well as the The Club's social media pages / sites. However it is important that all members are aware of the implications of engaging in forms of social media and online conversations that reference The Club, Club Members, Club Sites, woodfiredcamping.co.uk, our trademarks and / or Club council.   

• Ensure you adhere to the Club Constitution and Code of Conduct when referencing or representing WFCC.
• Never disclose non-public information about the WFCC.
• No profanities – including words with letter substitutions such as asterisk, dashes etc. The WFCC is an inclusive Club, with family / young members who may see and visit the WFCC website, blog, and related social media sites. Offenders should expect to be reprimanded and asked to explain their conduct.
• Abuse, insults and personal attacks directed at other people, particularly other site users, or website / forum moderators, is completely unacceptable. The Club defines a ‘personal attack’ as a negative statement / expression directed towards another person. Repeat offenders should expect to have their conduct treated in accordance with the Complaints Procedure and, if not resolved, have their membership terminated in accordance with Club rules.
• The Club requests that a member / site operator who discovers criticism or compliments to inform the Club Council / Executive Members. If you believe such remarks are important, these should also be forwarded to the Club Council.
• The Club respects the Human Right to free speech. However, members are reminded that other members and families will usually have access to the social media sites where you post.
• Assume that anything posted on the internet is permanent. This includes direct messaging.  

Media – Affiliate Members
The status of "Affiliate Member" (or any permutation thereof) should only be considered a 'marketing / promotional affiliation' and no Affiliate Member shall imply or advertise any formal connection with The Club - especially in any way which might be construed as inferring their involvement as a "certified site", "exempted site" or otherwise directly associated with or part of the administration of The Club. This stipulation includes posting, advertising or marketing content on all Club related social media / sites.