Staff at Affleck’s Animaid cafe have hit out in its defense after a Greater Manchester councillor branded the business ‘disgusting’.
Urmston councillor Joanne Harding has caused something of an uproar after tweeting that the Japanese-themed Animad cafe made her ‘fresh crawl [sic]’
Asking “What fresh hell is this in Manchester?”, her tweet continued: “A ‘maid cafe’ – No touching or asking to touch the maids. We have a gender based violence strategy and ask ‘is this ok?’ – this makes my fresh [sic] crawl.”
After one person replied by describing the cafe as ‘Hooters for incels’, she responded by calling the business ‘disgusting’ before adding: ‘If you’ve got to have a sign up saying don’t touch the maids, there might be an issue. Women dressing in skimpy clothes, acting subserviently – what’s not to love.’
The councillor has now set her Twitter profile to private, but her bio describes her as having ‘ovaries of steel’.
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She has represented Urmston on Trafford Council for more than twelve years and has previously spoken out against the harrassment of women in public life, most recently after receiving a sexually explicit card at her town hall office.
Unfortunately, it doesn’t appear that Mrs Harding took the time to understand the bubble tea and cartoon-themed cafe’s concept before going online to denounce the young women who work there.
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Image: The Manc Group
Image: The Manc Group
Vick Littley, a manager at the Animaid cafe, told the Manchester Evening News: “It was out of the blue and just felt derogatory. Most of the staff are young women – the post has been done with no grasp of what we actually are.
“We are a themed café where people can play board games, watch anime, sit and talk, study. We are not like how they are trying to portray us, we’re a bubble tea anime-themed café.”
On a visit to the popular Japanese-inspired cafe, The Manc spoke with a couple of the maids on the misconceptions that customers sometimes bring in with them.
They were keen to stress that, whilst the cafe does draw its inspiration from Japan’s maid cafe culture, in no way are the staff wanting to be fetishised themselves.
Whilst in Japanese maid cafes customers commonly call the maid’s “Princess” and vice versa are called “master”, they explain that in their cafe at Affleck’s the focus is all on having fun – not on sexualising the intimacy between customer and maid.
“In their cafes, […] master and princess is like kind of like fetishist names […] we don’t want any aspect of fetishising anything, we don’t want any Asian fishing or anything like that because it’s just disgusting.”
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“We just want to have fun and dress like maids and sell Japanese merch without hurting anyone.”
Image: The Manc Group
Image: The Manc Group
First opened in 2019, the cafe is the only one of its kind in the UK and has had various different iterations over the years – first starting life off as a shop downstairs before moving onto the second floor.
Inside you’ll find rare anime dolls, imported Japanese snacks, milkshakes named after famous characters and stacks of comics which you can read for free.
Based inside its current unit for three years now, over time owners have expanded the space to add on a proper Japanese-style sakura cafe behind the shop – complete with upside-down umbrellas hanging from the ceiling and its very own sakura tree.
Designed for like-minded people with a shared interest in anime, the cafe has been set up to be suitable for all ages where fans can socialise and initiate new friendships.
All of its maids are anime fanatics and experts too, and with their help owner Rio has created a safe space for anime fans where guests can watch anime, play video games, and transport themselves to cosplaying heaven.
Feature image – The Manc Group
News
Even more of the Gay Village will be turned into outdoor seating this summer
Daisy Jackson
The Gay Village is set to get even more outdoor seating this summer, with the council moving to partially close several key streets to traffic.
The news lands mid-heatwave when thousands of Mancs are clamouring for a seat in the nearest beer garden or cafe terrace – with a huge proportion of those flocking to Canal Street.
Now, plans have been revealed to bring ‘a touch of cafe culture’ to the Gay Village, with even more outdoor seating space created for businesses in the area.
Initially running as a trial this summer, it will mean new terraces for New York New York, The Goose and The Eagle on Bloom Street, plus more locations on Richmond Street.
Manchester City Council has said that similar schemes on Thomas Street and Stevenson Square have been hugely popular with both punters and businesses, especially during the summer months, and can give local operators a huge boost.
So now it’s time for this thriving corner of the city to get the same treatment, as part of the ongoing work through the Gay Village Action Plan identified the need for more outdoor seating areas.
The two locations which will have the changes will be Bloom Street, between Abingdon Street and Chorlton Street; and Richmond Street, between Sackville Street and Chorlton Street.
In order to put these protected spaces into effect, some changes to the existing road network will be made:
Bloom Street becomes one-way from Chorlton Street towards Princess Street
Richmond Street is closed to through traffic between Chorlton Street and Sackville Street.
The scheme will initially run on a trial basis from 10 July throughout the summer to evaluate if it could be a viable long-term solution.
During this, plans will also be in place to ensure that deliveries and loading can go about unhindered, as well as daily waste collection and access for residents.
Councillor Mandie Shilton Godwin, Executive Member for Clean Air, Environment and Transport, said: “The Gay Village is one of our most precious communities. For decades the queer community has been able to call this neighbourhood its own, establishing a long and proud place in the history of the fight against bigotry and discrimination.
“Needless to say, it’s one of the most-visited places in Manchester and sees thousands of people tread its cobbled streets every year. Because of that we’re always looking at how we, as its custodians, can continue to support its legacy and ensure that it meets the needs of people who live and work there.
“We’re excited to be trialling additional outdoor seating for these streets, and we hope to bring the same success that we’ve seen in the Northern Quarter after putting similar schemes in place.
“But, above all this has to work for everyone, so I would urge people to take part in this consultation and help shape the future of the Gay Village.”
Fire service urges Greater Manchester public to ‘act responsibly’ as heatwave continues
Emily Sergeant
People across Greater Manchester and beyond are being urged by the fire service to ‘act responsibly’ as the heatwave continues this week.
Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service (GMFRS) has issued an urgent plea residents and visitors to take extra care on moorland and in rural areas as part of the annual ‘Be Moor Aware’ campaign – which is aimed at preventing wildfires and reducing the impact they have.
GMFRS has issued the plea alongside its partners at United Utilities, the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB), neighbouring fire and rescue services, and local councils.
It comes as Amber Extreme Heat warnings and heat-health alerts have been issued by the Met Office and the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) through to Thursday this week – with temperatures widely exceeding 35°C nationwide, and in some areas – particularly on the south coast – potentially even reaching 38°C.
Heatwave conditions in the UK are met when a location records a period of at least three consecutive days with temperature values meeting or exceeding the heatwave temperature threshold for that location.
The fire service urges the Greater Manchester public to ‘act responsibly’ as the heatwave continues / Credit: Mick Garrett (via Geograph)
It does seem, however, that northern parts of the country – especially the North West – are missing most of the extremely hot conditions, with current forecasts indicating peak temperatures of 33°C.
But this doesn’t stop the wildfire risk, and the fire service is warning that prolonged periods of dryness but the countryside in danger.
GMFRS data shows there have been 83 wildfires across Greater Manchester since 2021, including a significant rise in 2025, when 38 incidents were record, and there has already been six wildfires recorded in 2026.
“Wildfires can spread rapidly, especially during warm and dry weather, putting lives, wildlife and property at risk,” explained GMFRS Wildfire Lead, Adrian Taylor.
“Many of these fires are preventable, and we’re asking everyone to take responsibility when visiting our moorland areas. Small actions, such as not using disposable barbecues and taking litter home, can make a huge difference in preventing devastating fires.”
Georgina Pellant -
1st February 2023 
