Affiliate Group Membership
Affiliated Group membership of the Calligraphy & Lettering Arts Society (CLAS) gives local calligraphy and lettering groups the opportunity to be part of the UK’s leading calligraphy network. Affiliation provides practical support, added visibility, and valuable connections within the wider CLAS community. It helps strengthen your group’s presence while offering benefits that support both security and growth.
Affiliated Group Benefits
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Public Liability Insurance (PLI): Available for UK-based local groups (Type A fee only) at a highly competitive premium, giving your group peace of mind and financial security
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Promotion in CLASnews: Free inclusion of your group’s major activities in our newsletter, reaching calligraphers and lettering artists across the UK and internationally
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Preferential table space: Priority allocation of table space at CLAS Affiliated Events, helping your group showcase its work and attract new members
Members of a CLAS Affiliated Group who are not fully paid-up individual members of CLAS do not have voting rights at the CLAS Annual or Extraordinary General Meetings. They may attend as guests of a fully paid-up member but cannot take part in formal business. However, each Affiliated Group may appoint one committee member to attend, participate, and cast a single vote on its behalf.
Types of Affiliated Group Membership
Type A
Affiliation of £40* plus public liability insurance of £57.91** for £5M cover
Type B
Affiliation of £40* without public liability insurance
Micro Group A (12 members or less)
Affiliation of £20* plus public liability insurance of £60** for £5M cover
Micro Group B (12 members or less)
Affiliation of £20* without public liability insurance
* £20 if 50% or more of your members belong to CLAS (£10 if you are a Micro Group)
** This fee is calculated annually
The affiliation fee is valid from 1 October to 30 September, with renewals due in October. Note that this fee is reduced for groups joining partway through the year (from April to September).
Affiliated Group Application
If you are interested in becoming an affiliated group, please email affilgroups@clas.co.uk with the following information:
- the name of your Local UK Group
- the name, position, email address & address of the contact for affiliation matters
- the type of cover your group requires (Type A includes PLI, Type B does not)
Groups applying for Type A will be sent a summary of cover when renewing.
Why Your Group Should Have PLI
Public Liability Insurance will protect a group, including its officers, from the possibility of responsibility for damages in the event of a personal injury to someone attending a group event.
The policies typically
indemnify the insured against legal liability to pay compensation and claimants costs and expenses in respect of
a) accidental injury to any person
b) loss of or damage to material property.
The PLI cover operates in the UK at any venue that the group uses. The “material property” referred to above is not that which belongs to the group but, for example, that of the meeting place e.g. furniture and fittings. Many halls now include a clause in their hiring Terms and Conditions stating that the hirer must have their own Public Liability Insurance. The hall’s own insurance does not provide cover for the hirers. To cover the group’s property, a separate policy would be required, with a high minimum premium. However, items used at meetings are often members’ property and may be covered by the owner’s all risks policy.
CLAS has Public Liability Insurance which provides cover at all CLAS events in the UK. CLAS has arranged £5M cover for UK Affiliated Groups for an annual premium per group which is considerably less than an individual group could obtain.
To take advantage of this your group needs to affiliate to CLAS. So don’t delay and join the local UK groups currently affiliated to CLAS with PLI cover.
Join Our Community
Become a CLAS member and enjoy a wealth of benefits — from receiving The Edge magazine and CLASnews updates, to reduced fees for courses and competitions. Members also gain exclusive access to our diploma, free entry to the annual exhibition, and opportunities to exhibit their work.