The current owners of Giants Seat Nursery and Garden Centre announced plans to step down from the popular facility in April.

The centre is a family business that has been running for 61 years, and is currently under the control of 68-year-old Stephen Kidd and his siblings Alan, 64, John, 61, and Diane, 59.

In April, they vowed the garden centre would not close and committed to staying on until they “find the right buyer”.

Now, new director Leo Yaffe has confirmed he will officially sign over control of the business on November 10, and will continue to receive support from some of the existing family members who run the site.

He has been visiting the Red Rock Lane business for several weeks and has pledged to maintain the “same ethos and values” that have made the garden centre so loved by its customers.

“It’s very much going to stay the same,” he said.

Leo Yaffe, the new director of Giants Seat Garden Centre(Image: Submitted)

“It’s staying as a garden centre and nursery with the same ethos and values, and not much is going to change at first while I get used to the business.

“But as time goes on, I want to run more things in the community and put on educational workshops.”

Leo has been involved in horticulture for the past five or six years and recently completed a year-long placement at RHS Bridgewater.

However, he has not ran a business before and said he will receive significant support from some of the existing family members – who are staying on in part-time capacity to ease the transition.

He says honouring the traditions of Giants Seat is important to him because of the decades-long efforts by the current family owners.

“I’ve been in horticulture for five to six years – but I’ve never run a business before and it’s been very overwhelming – but they’re being very supportive,” he added.

“It’s been their life and we want to bring people together to celebrate that.

Giants Seat Nursery and Garden Centre(Image: Newsquest)

“It’s good to know some are staying on, but I am going to have to look for some new staff.

“People have got good memories with them, and I want customers to know not a lot is going to change and it’s going to be the same.”

The facility won’t close at any point during the transition and will continue to operate over the winter, putting in work to prepare for a busier season from next April onwards.

The siblings announced plans to step down last April after decades of running the business on the Bolton-Bury border.

The story began in 1964 when James Kidd, bought the business.

Initially, it was a nursery growing tomatoes and chrysanthemums for the wholesale market.

With a growing reputation, the family decided to shift to retail in 1978.

The move paid off and since then they haven’t looked back.

Each of them had carved out a particular role that plays to their strengths.

Steven looks after the bedding and patio plants, as well as hanging baskets.

Alan manages the paperwork and accounts, while Diane focuses on the growing side of the business.

From left: Green-fingered siblings Diane, John, Alan and Steven Kidd(Image: Newsquest)

John, who went to horticultural college, deals with trees and shrubs.

But Steven, who started working at the family business when he was just 16, said the death of their father two years ago and the advancing age of he and his siblings influenced their decision to put it up for sale.

“Now that dad’s not here, it’s different,” he said in April.

“It is the end of an era, but we’ll be leaving a legacy that we can all be proud of.”

A special event will be held at the garden centre later in November with close friends and family, officially marking the handover from the siblings to Leo Yaffe.