The boss of an up-market delicatessen has called neighbours who complained about her wealthy customers flying in by helicopter ‘arrogant and ill informed’.
Janie Thompson has defended the right of her well-heeled customers to arrive by helicopter after local residents claimed they have been repeatedly disturbed by noise from choppers bringing in diners to the Thornham Deli in the exclusive seaside village of Thornham, Norfolk.
Owner Ms Thompson clapped back at those complaining, saying: ‘I’m astounded that our helicopters have caused such a stir. We love having them here, we love welcoming people, people from afar and locals.
Describing her critics and ‘arrogant’ and ‘ill informed’, she said: ‘Anybody might think it’s easy to run one of these businesses, but it’s not. We treat anyone coming through the door like they’re doing us a favour.’
‘We do a lot for our locals. I’m sorry if it upsets a few people but I’m really encouraged by all the positive comments and encouragement we’ve been given as a business because we do try hard.
‘If people knew me they’d know how hard I work and what we’ve done for the local community.
‘We stayed open all through Covid for the locals. We love our locals and they love us, we’re on first name terms with so many of them.’
‘Surely there’s a lot more going on in Thornham than complaining about this. They need to get a life.’
Deli owner Janie Thomspon has clapped back at her critics after they complained about her wealthy customers arriving by heliocopter
Local residents claimed they have been repeatedly disturbed by noise from choppers bringing in diners and soppers to the Thornham Deli in the exclusive seaside village of Thornham, Norfolk
Ms Thiompson’s remarks come after seven helicopters landed in a field behind the shop, now nicknamed the ‘heli deli’ by some locals, on the morning of Saturday October 11 so the pilots and their passengers could meet up for brunch at the fashionable eaterie.
Flight data show the aircraft flew from starting points in Bedfordshire, near Chelmsford, Essex, and Chatham, Kent, landing from around 9.30am in the village which has a traditional chippy used by Prince William and Kate when they are staying at their nearby Sandringham home.
Ms Thompson proudly posted pictures of the helicopters on the shop’s Facebook page with a message saying: ‘Just your average deli breakfast. With a casual helicopter flyby.’
She added: ‘Which ride are you taking- straight to brunch or straight to the skies? Comment where you’d fly to if brunch came with a boarding pass’.
It later emerged that villagers had complained to Thornham Parish Council about the number of helicopters touching down at the one-stop deli, restaurant and lifestyle shop which describes itself as ‘the place to be’ on the coast.
Andrew Jamieson, a parish, borough and county councillor, said: ‘Residents have raised the landing and taking off of helicopters behind the Deli citing noise pollution, they fly in low over the houses, play area and hall, and there’s no one supervising the landings when there are dogs and children about the place.
‘We agreed at the parish council we should liaise with the landowner to review the numbers landing and ensure that there are sufficient safety assessments in place.’
Image shows a helicopter landing outside the Thornham Deli
Ms Thompson, a previous winner of Channel 4’s Four in a Bed reality show for bed and breakfast owners, also insisted the flights were not a regular occurrence.
She said: ‘It’s once in a blue moon. It’s probably ten times a year and it’s normally one helicopter.’
Ms Thompson added she had the landowner’s permission for helicopters to fly in, and the field was private, meaning there should be no-one on it when aircraft were landing or taking off.
She doubled down on her comments in another Facebook post after the concerns about helicopters featured in a front page and double page story in the Eastern Daily Press.
In a message accompanied by three emoji images of a bulging strong arm bicep, she wrote: ‘Front page and centre. Confirming: TD (Thornham Deli) welcomes ALL customers, whatever their mode of transport, local and distant – whether it’s just for a newspaper, a coffee or a full English – we welcome all.’
But her comment drew an angry reaction with one Facebook user commenting: ‘Definitely won’t be coming back. Your unpleasant response to the neighbours comments and the ‘strong arm’ looks a lot like bullying. The helicopters scared the children and the dogs last weekend and created chaos.’
Another added: ‘Why the celebratory ‘strong arm’ when it’s an article about the unhappiness of your neighbours? Not a great response. Neither is the ‘they need to get a life’ comment. Not great PR for you. Very disappointing.’
Ms Thompson has insisted the flights are not a regular occurrence
A third stated: ‘My husband and I were customers a few weeks ago sitting outside at the back of the Deli when two helicopters landed. They set down pretty close so not only was it very noisy, but we had to cover our drinks and food to stop leaves and other debris from spoiling our brunch.
‘We left earlier than we intended as a result. We felt the helicopters could have landed on the other side of the field so as not to spoil other diners’ experience.’
Others were more sympathetic with one person saying: ‘These helicopters are no more bother than the USAF/RAF jets that scream over the village.. I quite like to see the helicopters come and go. We’re not far from the deli and it’s not a problem for us!’
Another stated: ‘At least they are spending money in Norfolk…’ and a third said: ‘It sounds like someone was just jealous as the helicopters only made noise for about 2 minutes max as they take off and leave very quickly. Brings revenue and prestige to Thornham’.
The deli’s Facebook page features numerous pictures of helicopters landing and taking off from the field in recent years.
One post, accompanying an image of three helicopters in August 2019 stated: ‘Who needs a car park – helicopter vibes’, while another post showing a red helicopter taking off in May 2021 said: ‘There you are after a quick lunch. Up, up and away’.
A third post showing four helicopters in the field in February 2023, said: ‘WOW, talk about making an entrance to kick start this half term. Which helicopter colour is your favourite?’
The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) states that unlicensed aerodromes including helicopter landing sites must offer ‘a safe operational environment’.
A spokesman said: ‘Helicopters would need the land owners permission to land at the location shown and the pilots would need to demonstrate good airmanship with regard to the safety of third parties.
‘There is no limit on the number of landings at a private site, but it can become a planning permission issue with the local authority if a landing site is used on a regular basis.’
A spoksesperson for West Norfolk Council said it had not received any noise complaints about the flights. They added: ‘If complaints are received, we will be happy to investigate’.
