Safe and cash stolen from veterans' coffee charity

A founder of a charity for military veterans and their families said he was "gutted, emotional and so annoyed" after thousands of pounds of donations were stolen from its headquarters.

Combat2Coffee in Ipswich was broken into between Friday night and Saturday morning by crooks who fled the scene with a safe containing up to £5,000 in cash.

They were also understood to have taken a bicycle and used a large industrial bin to escape over the top of some metal fencing and locked gates at Handford Business Park.

Nigel Seaman, who started the charity in 2018, said the ordeal had left him feeling "disappointed and shattered".

It offers outreach work and support and its coffee van is a regular fixture at the Portman Road Fanzone when Ipswich Town are at home.

"We pulled up outside on Saturday morning and I saw a big refuse bin pulled up to the gate and I said straight away that we had been broken into," he said.

"I saw our boardroom — the door had been kicked in and the office bit where our staff sit had been forced in.

"I was very emotional and, I know I haven't, but I felt like I had let people down, because this has been built on my values, my journey and my mission."

Despite the suspects or suspects taking between £3,500 and £5,000, Seaman said he would be willing to offer help to those responsible, if they needed it.

"We're an advocate of supporting people through rehabilitation journeys and maybe this shows more needs to be done to prevent people from committing crime," he said.

"This is why we do some of the things we do. If anyone comes across a safe in a bush, contact us.

" It might have some answers. It might be someone who needs help."

Combat2Coffee was founded by Royal Anglian veteran Seaman after he was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

In 2023, the charity served more than 250,000 drinks, each of which featured the contact details for veterans and mental health charities.

Suffolk Police has been contacted for comment.

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