Charity Governance

SHARP Charity Governance

"The first principle is that archaeology is there to be dug, and anyone willing to learn how is entitled to participate. The notion that we should save it for the future when techniques will be better is a transparent absurdity, since the future, by definition, can never come.

Our second principle is that we do archaeology on a minimal budget. We have no choice: very few research projects can happen if they depend upon professional levels of funding or anything like it. So, it is low-budget research or no research at all.

Our third principle - We encourage active participation at all levels.

Finally, and crucially, we have a democratic internal structure. This is not a matter of formal arrangements - such as a rigid decision-making procedure. Rather, it means refusing to mimic the restrictive work hierarchies of the factory and office, where talent is bottled up and creativity frustrated, and instead offering the opportunities, challenges and responsibilities which will maximise people's enthusiasm, self-development and contribution.

Here, we return to our starting point. The professional rescue unit has to work fast. We do not. We can accommodate large numbers of unskilled people, take time out for on-site training, and slow the pace while expertise develops. Equally, we can allow ourselves time to think and discuss, to modify method in relation to changing interpretation, to interrogate our site far more comprehensively than we could if the bulldozers were waiting to get in. Archaeological fieldwork has hundreds of questions to answer and thousands of would-be volunteers willing to help. The case for more community-based, volunteer-run, democratically-organised research projects like Sedgeford is unanswerable."

- Dr Neil Faulkner, SHARP's founding director (on Democratic Archaeology, 1997)

SHARP was set up as an experiment in democratic archaeology and over the years it has changed and developed into the organisation it is today. As a charity we still ensure that we provide access to archaeology for all, no matter their background and financial situation, by keeping costs as low as possible and providing bursaries.

This webpage provides information about SHARP's governance:

Constitutional changes over the years
Our AGM information
SHARP governing body information and nomination form
Copies of all our policies, risk assessments, and other documentary information to ensure we are entirely open with the public and membership

Constitutions

Charity Objective:

The advancement of education and conservation by promoting, undertaking and making public historical research and archaeological investigation into the landscape of the Parish of Sedgeford in the county of Norfolk and of adjoining and neighbouring Parishes. The results of the work will be disseminated by publications, exhibitions, public lectures and other means.

Current Constitution

Our current SHARP Constitution is the original 1997 version, see our blog for the reasons for this. A copy of this Constitution be downloaded here. A new constitution is being worked on by a SHARP sub-committee. There will be an opportunity for SHARP members to contribute to this.

SHARP Past Constitutions Archive

The first ever SHARP excavation season was in 1996 and it was the following year that the1997 constitution was written, ratified, and then sent to the Charity Commission. In the book ‘Digging Sedgeford – a people’s archaeology’ (2014) there is a description of the journey SHARP’s founder, Dr Neil Faulkner, went through to establish the principle of ‘democratic archaeology’. This discussed a ‘first crisis’ in 1996/7 where hierarchical principles were challenged.

The constitution from 1997 is available here, names and addresses have however been redacted.

The 2008/9 constitution was voted for by members at a public AGM with major changes in 2008, and in 2009 formally agreed. This new constitution established that all Committee members would be Trustees, and it provided all members of SHARP with voting rights lasting 2 years from their participation. The reasons for this are best explained by Neil in the preface of Digging Sedgeford.

"In 2008/2009 there was a ‘second SHARP crisis’ when again a formal attempt was made to take over the project and impose a ‘top-down’ structure on it. The ‘democratic’ looseness of the project’s structure had left it exposed to ill-conceived attempts to make it conform to a traditional model. The lesson learned was that democracy needs structures, procedures, and rules like any other kind of governance. So, we now have a formal constitution which defines a ‘member of SHARP’ as anyone who has contributed work of any kind over the preceding two years, and which grants all members an equal voice and vote in the running of the project."

- Founder Director Dr Neil Faulkner, 1997 in Digging Sedgeford

A copy of this constitution is available here.

Although this constitution was voted on publicly at a valid AGM, it was never sent to the Charity Commission. Therefore, in their view, it never formally became SHARP’s constitution. We include it here as it was officially ratified by the membership and was used for almost 10 years, so we feel it deserves a place in SHARP's history.

In 2018 a new constitution was written and submitted to the Charities Commission, but there was no public vote on this due to the 2018 AGM being cancelled.

There were several changes to the constitution in 2018 but the most significant was the classification of members.

Membership was now through becoming a ‘Friend of SHARP’ for which a fee will be payable.
A Friend of SHARP may attend AGM but has no voting rights.
The Trustees have the power to refuse a membership application, and to cancel their membership at any time– their decision is final, there is no right of appeal.
AGM voting rights were restricted to Trustees, Directors, Committee members, and those appointed to the team for that digging season rather than membership.
Directors, Trustees and Committee were no longer required to retire and be reappointed at AGMs, but were instead appointed by other Directors and Trustees.

A copy of this constitution is available here.

After 2018 there were no AGMs called, until 2023 when a new committee was formed.

In 2023, the new committee examined the 2018 constitution and agreed that there was a number of issues regarding the above details that they felt needed to change to return SHARP to what it once was. The primary issue was the 2018 definition of who was a member of SHARP. From its inception, SHARP was conceived as a democratic dig where everyone had an equal say, as was reflected in the earlier 1997 and 2008/9 constitutions. The new committee tried to ratify a new constitution in 2023 to return these voting rights. However, there were concerns about the legitimacy of the 2018 constitution given it was not voted on at an AGM. After consultation with the Charity Commission in 2023/2024, a decision was reached that the 2018 constitution was indeed invalid as it was not voted in by the members. We were therefore asked to revert back to the 1997 constitution.

AGMs

Traditionally SHARP has usually held the AGM during the summer excavation season. With the developments in technology SHARP is now able to also offer an online participation in the AGM, hopefully opening it to even more of our members.

Our most recent AGM was held on Wednesday 31st July 2024 in Sedgeford.

Members of SHARP under the 1997 constitution are those that have participated in SHARP's activities. There is no time limit in this constitution so all that attended the AGM were be eligible to vote if they have volunteered for SHARP.

The minutes for this meeting will be released shortly. If you would like to be sent the papers related to this AGM please email bookings@sharp.org.uk.

Held on Wednesday 26th July 2023 at Sedgeford Village Hall (and via Zoom), you can access the minutes from the 2023 EGM and AGM here.

There were several papers related to this which can be found below:

Background to SHARP 2023 AGM
Proposed Interim Constitution
Nomination Information for Officers, Trustees and Committee Members
Financial Accounts 2022/2023
CIO explanation documents: part A and part B.

Held on Wednesday 31th July 2024 in Sedgeford, you can access the agenda, papers, and minutes for the 2024 AGM here.

There were several papers related to this which can be found below:

You can view the minutes for the 2024 AGM here.

SHARP's Governing Body

SHARP Committee and Trustees

As a charity most decisions are made via the SHARP committee. The committee is formed of trustees and committee members who have been voted in to position by the membership. We hold several meetings throughout the year, often using zoom. Many members of the committee do more than one role or sit on multiple sub-committees.

If you are completely new to SHARP we suggest that you consider joining us as a volunteer during a season, so that you can learn more about us, and we can get to know you.

To become a member of the committee you need to be a member of SHARP. However, anyone can nominate a trustee or committee member if they are a SHARP member. The SHARP committee may provide their recommendations to the membership at the AGM, based on what skills we feel are needed. If you would like to nominate someone or would like to be nominated, please fill in the following form and submit it to bookings@sharp.or.uk. If there are more nominations than positions on committee then there will be an opportunity to present your case for nomination before the membership vote.

You can download the trustee/committee member nomination form here. Trustee responsibilities information can be found on the Charity Commission site.

Our Policies and Other Information

This is a list of SHARP's current policies and procedures, as well as other information such as Risk Assessments. These are continuously reviewed on a regular basis to ensure we stay up to date. When they were last reviewed, an indication of when they are likely to be reviewed next, or if they are currently waiting for committee approval is shown here.

Terms and Conditions - created and approved October 2024 (to be reviewed late 2025).

Finance Procedure Policy - updated and approved November 2024 (to be reviewed late 2025).

Reserves Policy - reviewed and approved November 2024 (to be reviewed late 2025).

Anti-Fraud Policy - updated and approved November 2024 (to be reviewed late 2025).

Safeguarding Policy - updated and approved November 2024 (to be reviewed late 2025).

Behaviour Policy - updated and approved November 2024 (to be reviewed late 2025).

Complaints and Resolution Procedure - created and approved November 2024 (to be reviewed late 2025).

Child Protection Policy Statement - created and approved November 2024 (to be reviewed late 2025).

Social Media Policy - currently being written.

Data Protection Policy - created early 2024 (to be reviewed early 2025).

Risk Assessment - reviewed early 2024 (to be reviewed early 2025).

Risk Assessment for Group Visits and the Festival of Archaeology - reviewed early 2024 (to be reviewed early 2025).

Fire Risk Assessment - reviewed 2022 (currently under review).

Health and Safety Policy - reviewed early 2024 (to be reviewed early 2025).

References

Faulkner, N. (2000) Archaeology from below, Public Archaeology 1(1) pgs 21-33. Read here.
Faulkner, N. (2001) The Sedgeford project, Norfolk: an experiment in popular participation and dialectical method, Archaeology International 5, pgs16-20. Read here.
Faulkner, N. (2013) The Sedgeford Crisis, Public Archaeology 8(1) pgs 51-61. Read here.
Faulkner, N. (2014) Preface, in Faulkner, N. Rossin, G. and Robinson, K. Digging Sedgeford: A People's Archaeology (Poppyland Press), pgs IX-XIV.

Resource Links

Charity Commission page for SHARP