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est. 1991
ABOUT
The Tall Persons Club
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Founded in 1991 by Phil Heinricy, the Tall Persons Club GB & Ireland is an independent non-profit organisation dedicated to providing information and promoting the interests of tall people.
If you are above average height, know someone who is, or have children who are taller than average, the Tall Persons Club aims to offer support, guidance, practical information, and a social outlet that facilitates the meeting of equally elevated souls. Joining the Tall Persons Club can help you gain confidence, and inspire you to improve matters not just for tall people, but for all people.
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Who Should Join?
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We welcome anyone who will benefit from our information.
Membership is for those who consider themselves taller than average.
You decide. We have no minimum height requirement because we believe that people know for themselves whether or not they are tall. The Club welcomes individuals and families – taller than average children are, after all, the next generation of members. With each generation growing taller, our members are drawn from all walks of life and every age group.
Information & Responsibilities
Information & Responsibilities
Name
The name of the organisation is: Tall Persons Club GB & Ireland and is referred to below as the Club.
Status
The Club is a Company Limited by Guarantee and not having a share capital. The Club has a Board of Directors, referred to below as the Board.
Aims & Objectives
To carry on all or any of the businesses of providing information for and promoting the interests of tall people including the practical, medical, psychological and social aspects of being taller than average.
1. Membership
1.1 Membership is granted on acceptance of an application form by the Board and on payment of an annual membership subscription. Membership implies acceptance by the member of the Club's Information and Responsibilities as set out.
1.2 Members undertake to uphold the aims of the Club and conduct themselves in a manner to promote the Club and its aims.
1.3 Membership categories are:
* Individual membership
* Family membership - two or more people living at the same address
* Concessionary membership - applies to students in full time education, senior citizens and those in receipt of long-term incapacity benefit. Where appropriate the member may be required to supply evidence of status.
* Honorary membership - is given for a specified period or for life to an individual or organisation in recognition of support to the cause of tall awareness and is at the discretion of the Board.
1.4 Only individual honorary members have the right to vote.
1.5 Membership will lapse if not renewed within 60 days of renewal date.
1.6 Membership is not transferable. No refund of subscriptions will be made for periods remaining in any particular year in which membership is cancelled by the member or by the Club.
1.7 The Club does not discriminate on grounds of age, religion, sexual orientation, nationality, race or gender.
1.8 Members who are considered to have brought the Club into disrepute may be subject to disciplinary procedures. (See 6. Discipline)
1.9 Members whose actions or behaviour constitute gross misconduct will be excluded from the Club. Examples of such conduct include criminal activity and gross abuse of other members. This is not an exhaustive list.
1.10 All members of the Club are members of the Company Limited by Guarantee and as such their liability is limited to a sum not exceeding £1.00 should the company be wound up.
2. Management and Organisation
2.1 The Club has a Board of Directors. The Board has lead responsibility for the management of the Club. A director is expected to actively contribute to the management and running of the Club.
2.2 There will be a maximum of five and a minimum of three directors.
2.3 A Director is elected to the Board for a term of two years and may stand again for re election for up to a maximum of six years - at which time he/she must step down. This member may apply for re election to the Board of Directors after a further period of two years has elapsed.
2.4 Nominations for election to the Board must be notified to the current Board not less than three calendar months prior to the AGM. Three people who have been members of the Club for not less than two years must support a nomination. Members will be notified of such nominations wherever possible via the Club publications and website.
2.5 If no nomination is received the Directors may appoint a director to the Board such that the maximum number of Directors is not breached.
2.6 The conduct of Directors is regulated by the Memorandum and Articles of Association of the Company (copy available on request and a stamped addressed envelope to the usual Club business address) and the Companies Act 1985.
2.7 A director will not draw monies from the Club other than reasonable expenses properly incurred whilst on the business of the Club. Two other directors of the Club will verify such expenses.
2.8 Directors will receive free membership whilst holding their position, plus for every completed year of service they will receive honorary membership for two times that number of years, in recognition of their services. For example, a person who is a director for 2 years will receive 4 years honorary membership after their directorship ends.
2.9 Directors are not eligible for the Member of the Year award.
2.10 Organisation of the Club in the regions is assisted by a network of volunteer members acting as Regional Co-ordinators / Local Contacts who will take a proactive role in cascading information to and from members in the regions and the Board.
3. General Meetings
3.1 The Annual General Meeting (AGM) will be held at the Anniversary Event each year. The quorum required is ten members. If the quorum is not present within an hour of the appointed start time the AGM will be dissolved. Alternate arrangements will be made according to the Articles of Association.
3.2 Resolutions to be put forward at the AGM must be received by the Club:
* No less than twelve weeks prior to the AGM for circulation to all members by publication in the magazine or
* No less than four weeks prior to the meeting. These will not be circulated to members prior to the AGM.
3.3 Membership categories are:
* Individual membership - One vote
* Family membership - Any adult (18+) family member listed in the membership database who attends the AGM in person may vote. Otherwise for postal/proxy votes only one vote per membership number is allowed
* Concessionary membership - One vote
* Honorary membership (for individuals) - One vote
3.4 Members are entitled to appoint another member as proxy to vote on their behalf or may post their votes to the Club office to arrive no less than seven days prior to the AGM.
4. Finances
4.1 All monies received by the Club are the funds of the Club and will be administered in accordance with the objectives of the Club at the discretion of the Board.
4.2 The accounts will be audited annually. A financial statement will be presented at the AGM. Members can request a copy of the statement by sending a stamped addressed envelope to the usual Club business address.
4.3 The financial accounting year-end of the Club is March 31.
4.4 Fund-raising activities in the name of the Club whether for the Club or a nominated organisation such as a charity must be authorised in advance by the Board.
4.5 No Regional Co-ordinator / Local Contact or member may hold a bank or other financial account in the name of the Club.
5. Intellectual Property
5.1 The Name of the Club and the Logo of the Club may only be used to benefit the Club.
5.2 The Club name, Company name, Club logo, Club website name and addresses and titles of publications published by the Club are the property of the Club and may not be used by any member or other organisation, commercial or otherwise, without express permission of the Board.
5.3 Reproduction of any artwork relating to the Club name, logo and publications must be authorised by the Board.
6. Discipline
6.1 The Board reserves the right to impose sanctions on a member whose conduct brings the Club into disrepute or who behaves in a manner detrimental to the best interests of the Club. Sanctions can include a period of exclusion from the Club and termination of membership.
6.2 A member excluded as a result of disciplinary measures (other than those subject to permanent exclusion) will be eligible to apply to rejoin the Club after the specified time and subject to the usual membership requirements.
History
Tall Club History
It was a perfectly ordinary December day in 1990, ordinary that is, apart from the fact that I had overslept, and was a little late leaving for work. I finished my cup of coffee, picked up my briefcase and was about to head for the door when the commercial break in The Time The Place drew to a close, and they trailed a coming programme.
"Are you very tall, are you very short? Has this affected your life? Do you have a story to tell about what it is like to be either very tall or very short? If so, call The Time The Place".
I called, and vented my spleen about some of the things that irritated me about being exceptionally tall, as well as explaining why I actually enjoy being 6ft 8in. The researcher asked whether I would be available to appear on the programme a few days hence, and so it was that I came to be in London a few days before Christmas, ready to embark on my first television appearance. Thames Television was paying for my room at the Ibis Hotel near Euston station.
Little did I realise at the time that I would be back at the same hotel seven and a half years later, during the largest convention of tall people this country had ever hosted.
Waiting in hospitality before the programme, I noticed how all the tall people were at one end of the room while all the short people had congregated at the other.
Both groups were sharing tips on where to buy the many things in which the user's or wearer's height was a factor. One of the men in the tall group, having just written down the names of two shops he hadn't known about, said: "Wouldn't it be great if there were some place you could call and get all this information?"
The seeds were sown!
As you can imagine, I raised several points during the programme.
Back in hospitality I got talking with Judith Levy, of the specialist retailer High and Mighty. I told her I wished that no tall teenager would have to go through what I went through without knowing that there was some support from people who understood. I proposed an organisation for tall people. She liked the idea and suggested we meet again.
The seeds were sprouting nicely!
Judith and I met again the following March, this time at the High & Mighty head office in Hungerford. She was most supportive, saying that co-operation between us could lead to them gaining a greater understanding of their market, and they would be happy to support a club with advertising.
The seeds had firmly taken root.
I suspect my long suffering wife thought that this was just another of my madcap ideas, which I would research thoroughly, but which would ultimately come to nothing. Unfortunately for her, I knew the right producer at our local radio station, BBC Hereford and Worcester. Mary Johns, all 5ft nothing of her, was intrigued by the concept of a club for tall people, and interviewed me for the mid-morning show. A few people called for more information. I made contact, and we discussed the idea further. It became apparent that this sucker just might fly. One thing I was certain of: the majority of people wanted information rather than social activity. All agreed it would be nice, especially for teenagers, but essentially it was 'Information before Intoxication'.
It would take a really nasty frost to kill these seeds.
A few days later I received a telephone call, which I at first thought was a wind up. Unbeknown to me, Mary Johns had passed our interview up the line within the BBC, and now the Johnny Walker programme wanted me to come down to Broadcasting House to be interviewed on Radio 5. Well, why not? I'd already done local radio, so what were a couple of million more listeners? I was slightly nervous, but the atmosphere was relaxed and enjoyable, and the interview a success. How much of a success only really became clear in the course of the following weeks.
As I left the studio a researcher said: “That was amazing – as soon as you started chatting, the switchboard lit up like a Christmas tree! We weren’t ready for that kind of response.”
She also handed me a piece of paper with a telephone number on it. A man from Holland had heard the show and called in to say that he was 7ft 3in, and head of the Dutch Tall Club; would I please call him? It was my first contact with Rob Bruintjes, or anyone from any Tall Club for that matter.
From talking with Rob I knew I was on the right track: Information, and lobbying. Rob told me of some of the Dutch Club's successes, which only further served to confirm what I already knew, that a British Tall Club was needed, and wanted.
As a result of my Radio 5 debut a news agency asked to interview Carol and me about how we cope with the 17in height difference and about this club I was proposing for an article in Take a Break - hey, a lot of people read this stuff! The article appeared without even a mention of the club. Oh, well.
Letters and forwarded notes from the BBC trickled in consistently, and it looked like the word was on the streets, that someone somewhere has started a tall club. The mailing list was approaching three figures. Those seeds were ripening nicely.
Terry Wogan was on TV three evenings a week with his chat show. Imagine my surprise when Seana, a researcher called to invite me to appear. I knew the Wogan format well. Usually it consisted of an A lister, a lesser celeb, then a slightly odd or quirky guest, to make the others look good. I knew which they had me down for. Twelve months later, I would have relished the challenge, but I knew my limitations; I declined. I explained my reasons to Seana, who told me that her contract was about to expire and that she was moving to a daytime magazine show which would be far more suitable. Could she call me when she started her new job? She called me in mid July, and everything was arranged until that final glitsch.
"When did you start the club", she asked.
"I haven't yet".
"Oh! In that case we can't really do anything with this. When were you thinking of starting the club?"
"When were you thinking of transmitting?"
"August 1st"
"Sounds good enough to me"
Seana became excited at the idea of launching the club on Garden Party, a now defunct magazine show which was transmitted live from Glasgow Botanical Gardens; they flew me there for the day. What a pose: "I'm just flying up to Glasgow for the day to do some TV".
That is how the Club came into being, with a seven minutes piece on a BBC lunchtime show. To find out in full what happened next, and how it turned my life upside down for the next ten years, I guess you will just have to buy a copy of my book.
Let's just say that for the next few years our postman lived in constant fear of a hernia, and appearing on TV and radio became part of my normal working life!
Directors
The directors of the Tall Persons Club are unpaid volunteers who devote much of their spare time to collectively run the club.
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The current directors as seen above with Phil Heinricy (the man with the hat) are Sharran, Stewart, Ross and Simon.
A director is often responsible for a particular on-going area of the club (eg accounts, magazine, website) but also works on specific tasks as required (eg preparing the publication of an updated edition of the Supplier Directory, organising the Annual National Event).
Smaller tasks are shared between the directors as they arise.
Wherever possible and practical the directors look to the members to help with tasks to enable them to work on improving the club rather than just running it in its current form. If you have some regular spare time, or just on an occasional basis, where you can help the club in any way, please email the directors at info@tallclub.co.uk.
The directors convene a board meeting approximately every three months. At these meetings recent and on-going tasks are discussed and plans are made for immediate and long term tasks. There is more to running a large club than meets the eye and these meetings can last for up to five hours and sometimes they are not held in a pub (although very rarely).
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We currently have 2 and possibly a third director but we are looking for more hands to help and members who have skill sets which admin, websites or accountancy would be welcome additions to join us (if approved of by the members).
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