Equality, Diversity and Harassment Policy
This Equality, Diversity and Harassment Policy highlights WMBC’s commitment to ensuring that
everyone is treated fairly in an environment which is free from any form of discrimination or
harassment.
The West Midland Bird Club (WMBC) does not employ staff and is run in its entirety for its
members by its members. Club Membership is open to everyone of over the age of 16. The
overall business of the Club is managed by a committee of members, who are all volunteers
and are nominated and elected annually by the members at the Club’s Annual General Meeting.
Each of the Club’s four nature reserves and three Branches has its own management team of
members, one of whom they elect to serve as their representative on the Club’s main
management committee, thus ensuring that the Club is in touch with its grassroots members as
much as possible. All members, including joint and young members, are encouraged to vote for
and become involved in these teams including the main Management Committee.
All the Club’s Management Teams set out to create a welcoming atmosphere and an
environment which is as safe and inclusive as possible for everyone who would like to join and/
or participate in club activities.
Accessibility
All Club meetings and events are held in venues that are accessible to wheelchair users.
Where possible measures have and will continue to be made to increase the accessibility of the
Club’s nature reserves for those with mobility restrictions.
Inclusion and Respect for Everyone (both in person and online)
Everyone should be made to feel equally welcome and included at all WMBC meetings and
events and on its nature reserves. Sexist, racist, homophobic, transphobic or otherwise
offensive and inflammatory remarks and behaviour, of any kind, including comments posted
online, are not acceptable. These constitute harassment, and have no place in WMBC.
Dealing with Discrimination and Harassment, Including Bullying
If any member, including all officers of the Club, feels they have been discriminated against by
the Club, harassed at a club reserve, meeting or event, or online they should raise this with the
committee, see below, who will investigate the complaint, listening to all members involved.
Where applicable comments posted online will be used as evidence during any investigation. (If
the complaint is against a committee member, that member will not be involved with conducting
the investigation). If the complaint is against a particular individual, this person will have the
opportunity to express their point of view, accompanied by a friend. The person making the
complaint will also have this opportunity. If the complaint is against the Club as a whole, the
Committee must work to ensure that such discrimination is not repeated in the future, and must
inform the members of how they propose to do this. Any decision to exclude a person from the
Club due to their discriminatory or harassing behaviour will be made with reference to the Club’s
constitution. The Club will support anyone who feels they have been harassed or discriminated
against, and will not victimise or treat them less well because they have raised this.
In the first instance any complaint should be raised with:
Sue Judge, WMBC Deputy Chairperson