Millionaire philanthropist Jimi Heselden killed in Segway cliff plunge

Mr Heselden, whose company builds and markets the scooter, was found in the River Wharfe, at Boston Spa, near Wetherby, on Sunday morning, and died at the scene.

He had just written his latest 10m cheque to the Leeds Community Foundation, which channels money into disadvantaged areas.

West Yorkshire Police said it appeared Mr Heselden, 62, had driven over a cliff into the river. It is understood a Segway was found nearby.

Mr Heselden made his fortune when his Leeds-based firm Hesco Bastion developed the "blast wall" basket, which protect soldiers in Afghanistan and Iraq, as a replacement for traditional sandbags.

Last year he led a British team which bought the United States-based Segway firm, which makes and distributes the distinctive two-wheeled, self-balancing scooters.

A police spokesman said: "Officers were called to the incident around 11.40am following a call from a member of the public. Mr Heselden, who is from Thorp Arch, was pronounced dead at the scene by paramedics. The incident is not believed to be suspicious and the coroner has been informed."

There was little evidence of the accident today in the remote area where it is believed to have happened on the edge of the River Wharfe.

One area of the woodland path at the top of several cliff faces on the river's banks - which is accessible from a public bridleway - is particularly uneven with a sheer drop of around 30ft at the side which leads down to the river.

The heavily wooded area, which is popular with walkers, has areas of relative flat before being broken by various tree roots and branches. A well-trodden path curves around the top of the cliff before descending to another path which is met by a footbridge over a small stream.

About a dozen family members arrived at the scene today to lay floral tributes for Mr Heselden but many were visibly shaken and too upset to speak to the press.

Mr Heselden was one of Britain's richest men with a fortune put at 166m. He grew up in Halton Moor, one of the most deprived suburbs of Leeds, left school at 15 and worked down Temple Newsam and Lofthouse pits, before setting up his own company with a friend. The headquarters of Hesco Bastion on the Cross Green Industrial Estate are just a short walk from his childhood home.

Originally specialising in sandblasting, he came up with a concertina design for wire cage walls in 1990 and the business grew rapidly.

He had a long history of supporting good causes in his home city, but had been reluctant to talk to the media about his charity work.

However, with many charities seeing a downturn in donations as the hang-over from the recession continues to bite, he was persuaded last month to go public with his latest donation in the hope of persuading others to do the same.

"There are people out there who are making money and when times are good I honestly believe people have a moral obligation to use their wealth to help others," Mr Heselden told the Yorkshire Post at the time.

"There are a lot of families out there who are struggling and a lot of youngsters who have grown up without role models and who can't get jobs.

"Life turned out pretty well for me, but I still work in the same area where I grew up and every day I see people who for whatever reason are down on their luck."

Staff at the Leeds Community Foundation said they were "deeply saddened" at today's news.

Chief executive Sally-Anne Greenfield said: "it was a real privilege to have got to know Jimi over the past few months. He was the kind of person that people call salt of the earth. He did not have any airs and graces and was not giving the money to gain publicity or to boast about his success, but just because he wanted to make a difference."

Ms Greenfield said the foundation would continue to support projects in which Mr Heselden had an interest.

In a statement Hesco Bastion said: "Jimi is perhaps best known for his charity work with Help for Heroes and the Leeds Community Foundation. A 10m gift to the foundation earlier this month saw his lifetime charitable donations top 23m. Our thoughts go out to his family and many friends, who have asked for privacy at this time."

Tom Riordan, the chief executive of Leeds City Council, said: "We are all devastated and saddened to hear of the tragic death of Jimi Heselden OBE.

"Jimi was an amazing man who, apart from being a wonderful success story for Leeds due to his business acumen, was also remarkably selfless and generous, giving millions to local charities to help people in his home city.

"As a council we enjoyed great success with Jimi and Hesco Bastion, working together with them to achieve a historic gold medal for the city at this year's RHS Chelsea Flower Show, and everyone who knew him will remember his quiet manner, good nature, and tremendous pride in being from Leeds.

"He will be hugely missed and at this awful time our thoughts are with his family and friends."

Bryn Parry, chief executive and co-founder of Help for Heroes, said: "Everyone at Help for Heroes is deeply saddened to hear of the tragic death of our greatest benefactor.

"Jimi has been supporting Help for Heroes since September 2008 and was personally committed to giving the best support to 'the blokes', the men and women of the armed forces.

"His support was unassuming but very effective and he shared in many of our projects and fundraising events, most recently the Heroes Concert.

"His contribution to Headley Court, in particular, will stand as a lasting legacy to his memory and we will continue to work to achieve the best for our 'blokes' in his memory."