City honours tycoon famed for charity work with posthumous freedom award

YORKSHIRE entrepreneur and philanthropist Jimi Heselden was last night posthumously honoured in his home city of Leeds.

Mr Heselden, renowned for his remarkable generosity and selflessness, had his name placed alongside previous recipients granted the Freedom of the City at the civic hall at a special council meeting attended by close family and guests.

Freedom of the city is the highest honour a city can present, but this is the first time a posthumous honour has been issued in Leeds.

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Mr Heselden, 62, chairman of Hesco Bastion, based in east Leeds, died last year in an accident near his home at Wetherby, Leeds.

Under council rules, individuals have to be alive to be given freedom of the city but the council wanted to honour Mr Heselden in a similar style by including his name on the list alongside other Freeman of the City.

Coun Keith Wakefield, leader of council said: “Jimi was an extraordinary person, an inspiration and a great role model, and a genuinely nice man, and we felt it only right to break with tradition to honour him in this way.”

Throughout his lifetime Mr Heselden generously supported a large number of charities.

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