Victoria Park Harriers and Tower Hamlets A.C. is a company limited by guarantee that is also registered as a charity and is under the management of a board, whose members form the directors under the Companies Act and the trustees under the Charities Act.
It is constituted in accordance with: the Memorandum of Association, the Articles of Association, and the members are bound by the Rules of the club (as outlined in the “Club documents & policies” section below).
VPH & THAC is affiliated to England Athletics and is covered by the UK Athletics public liability insurance policy.
Welfare
The welfare of registered members, volunteers, and those who use club facilities is of utmost importance to the club. We have independent processes in place to ensure the welfare of all those who come into contact with the club.
Our commitment to ensuring the welfare of club members and users includes:
- safeguarding and protecting children and vulnerable adults;
- anti-bullying;
- equality of access and provision to those with protected characteristics;
- ensuring consistent good practice in coaching;
- when necessary, managing disciplinary and grievance matters.
Raising a concern or complaint
We want all those who train or compete with us to feel safe at all times. While the board takes overall responsibility for welfare across the club, it is the responsibility of all of us to ensure the welfare of ourselves and others. Any welfare concern should be reported immediately to the club, who will take action to address it.
Concerns or complaints should be raised with any of our welfare officers via email: Matthew Dawson (Board member), Eilidh Wagstaff. Joe Dale and Erica Brown are also appointed as additional club welfare officers.
The Chair of the Board (Dave Robinson) and the club captains (James Hirst, Nat Rowland or Lily Zechmann) hold responsibility at a board level for ensuring processes are in place to ensure the welfare of club users.
Welfare officers
Having been a member of the club since May 2021, I’ve been impressed by its community ethos and emphasis on wellbeing towards its members. The safety and wellbeing of individuals is of utmost importance to me and I hope to transfer professional expertise in safeguarding of vulnerable individuals to the protection of club members.
I also aim to be a trustworthy officer who handles subjects in confidence with attentiveness and sensitivity.
I joined VPH in 2021 after moving to east London. I’ve been running regularly for many years and love it because, in the words of Murukami, it allows you to “exert yourself to the fullest within your individual limits”. My reason for wanting to be a club welfare officer is that running can bring enormous benefits, so I want to help ensure people can enjoy those benefits in a safe and supportive environment.
I have been a member of VPH for 6 years. Before studying Osteopathy at university I spent 4 years working with young people who had been permanently excluded from school, this role gave me a good understanding and respect for the value of having a professional and well organised welfare team. I decided to become a welfare officer with VPH as I believe it’s vital that everyone’s voices are heard and we’re all made to feel welcome and safe within this community.
I am a huge fan of the presence of VPH in the community, believing it’s a superbly balanced offer of friendly fitness and elite sport pursuit for all, and would like to see the club continue to deliver a great community space.
I like to connect people to services, and make inclusive spaces so I think this position is a practical way to support our sports community and establish some safe structures to keep people connected.
General Meeting documents and minutes
Below is a record of the most recent General Meeting documents and minutes:
AGM / EGM Materials:
- 2nd March 2023 EGM: materials; minutes
- 1st December 2022 AGM: materials; Draft Financial Accounts; Treasurer Finance Report; minutes
- 4th November 2022 AGM: materials; minutes