Terry Butcher backs Combat2Coffee’s 1,000-strong breakfast event for military families in Ipswich
A major event during Armed Forces Week will bring together veterans, service members and their families at Ipswich YM Rugby Club to recognise the often unseen impact of military life on loved ones
A breakfast event for 1,000 people will take place in Ipswich on Tuesday 24 June to support military families, led by football legend Terry Butcher and the Ipswich-based veterans' social enterprise Combat2Coffee.
The event, known as The Bigger Breakfast, is being held at Ipswich YM Rugby Club during Armed Forces Week and will welcome serving personnel, veterans and their families for a morning of food and conversation.
The initiative aims to recognise the challenges faced by the families of those who serve, who organisers say often carry emotional burdens without public recognition.
“This is the first event of its kind and our vision is to make it a permanent feature of Armed Forces Week,” said Terry. “Together with Combat2Coffee, we’re shining a light on the families who stand behind our service personnel — those who carry the emotional weight yet often go unrecognised.”
Terry Butcher, who captained both England and Ipswich Town, became a patron of Combat2Coffee in 2024. His support for the organisation is shaped by personal experience: his son, Christopher, an Army captain, died in 2017 after being diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder following service in Afghanistan.
Combat2Coffee, which is based in Ipswich, uses coffee as a way to begin conversations around mental health in the armed forces community. The group regularly hosts veterans’ breakfasts across the UK.
Its founder, Nigel Seaman, said: “Families didn’t sign up to serve, but they live with the impact of military life every day. This breakfast is more than just a meal — it’s a moment to bring people together, raise awareness, and say we see you to the families often left in the shadows of military service.”
A simultaneous breakfast will also be held at Combat2Coffee’s café inside the Ministry of Defence’s main building in Whitehall to underline national support for the initiative.
Combat2Coffee and Terry Butcher hope to expand The Bigger Breakfast into a national campaign in future years, with long-term plans to break the world record for the largest breakfast gathering.