One of the stated aims of LOFT is to raise money to be spent in such a way to promote our objectives and to benefit the local community and the supporters of Leyton Orient. In the past we've run a Christmas Draw, quiz night, raffles and sold LOFT t-shirts (the latter still available).
Thanks to the generosity of members in our early years in the early 2000s, we purchased over 4,600 shares in the club through two share issues that took place. These shares are therefore jointly owned by all our members, such that a small part of Leyton Orient is forever democratically owned by the fans.
In 2017, when the club was being run down to near-destruction by its then owner, we set up the Leyton Orient Regeneration Fund to raise money to be used in one of several possible crisis scenarios. The club was eventually saved by a consortium led by lifelong fan Nigel Travis, so the fund - some £117k - is retained as an 'insurance policy' against those specific scenarios occurring in the future.
Any funds we raise are now used to benefit football community projects, both in the Leyton Orient community and beyond. Since 2018 we've supported the Leyton Orient womens' team and Walking Football Team with direct donations, as well as making donations to other trusts/supporter organisations facing club crises. We also made a direct donation to Leyton Orient FC in 2018 to help cover the costs of emergency repairs to the East Stand to bring it back into full use.
In 2019, thanks to the generosity of our members, we made a substantial donation to the Justin Edinburgh 3 Foundation, to honour the legacy of the club's late head coach. In 2023/24 we will continue to make a difference at the local football community level, where the Covid pandemic has impacted already-squeezed budgets.
If you would like to make a donation to LOFT to help us do more to benefit football community projects, you can do so securely by PayPal by clicking on the button below:
Alternatively, you can download a donations form
If you have any ideas for fundraising activities, or wish to get involved in any way, please email us at fundraising@leytonorientfanstrust.com
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