Miner turned quiet philanthropist after striking gold with big idea

It's done quietly, without an audience, in the boardroom of his company tucked away on a Leeds industrial estate. It might not be glamorous, but given this is where he had the Eureka moment which changed his life, it is appropriate.

"They say necessity is the mother of invention and they're right," said Mr Heselden.

"As part of plans to expand we had to dig away part of a large hill. We shored it up with railway sleepers, but when it collapsed we had to find some new way of reinforcing it."

Mr Heselden ordered some wire mesh cages, the kind often seen propping up banks by the side of motorways.

When they arrived, he decided there was a far better way of doing things. The Concertainer, which allows metres of protective walling to be put up in minutes, was born.

Today it is used as protection on army bases across the world, it is currently helping to prevent oil from the BP disaster spilling onto Gulf Coast beaches and has made Mr Heselden one of the country's richest men.

However, despite his success and the riches it has brought, Mr Heselden has never forgotten his roots, which saw him leave school at 15 to work as a miner.

Following a spell at Temple Newsam pit, he worked as a labourer before returning underground at Lofthouse Colliery.

Mr Heselden said of his time in the colliery: "It was hard work, but you just got on with it.

"I left in 1962 and the following year there was a big disaster at Lofthouse when a seam became flooded. The men all ran to escape, but seven didn't make it to the top.

"I knew some of those that died, I'd worked with them and I also know it could have quite easily been me."

After leaving the mines, Mr Heselden, who has always had a strong work ethic, started his own sandblasting business, initially removing industrial soot from churches before cleaning equipment on North Sea oil rigs.

And after donating 23m to charity in the last three years, he can now add leading philanthropist to his CV

He's now 62 and remains as committed to Hesco Bastion and its staff as he was back in the early days.

It would be cheaper to move the manufacturing operation abroad, but Mr Heselden, whose company directly employs 300 people and whose orders support a number of other firms within Yorkshire, believes he has a moral obligation to keep the company in East Leeds, near to where he grew up.

"We've had a lot of offers, but it wouldn't be right to move," he said.

"This is a Leeds company, always was and always will be."

Since winning its first order during the Gulf War of 1990, each week the company now produces enough units to stretch between Leeds and Liverpool.

It was Mr Heselden who was called when floods swept through Gloucester, the Concertainers prevented water getting into power stations and the product, which is blast resistant, has allowed military bases from Afghanistan to Bosnia to be made quickly secure.

Business has boomed, but when Mr Heselden, who has long supported various Leeds hospices, including St Gemma's and Martin's House, enjoyed a particularly profitable year in 2008, he was determined others should benefit from his success.

His first 10m donation to the Leeds Community Foundation, which identifies worthy projects in need of funding, was arranged in a matter of days and with 3m added to the pot last year, Mr Heselden's latest 10m cheque will ensure the work continues.

"What can I say, except we had a good year," he said. "At the time I didn't know whether it was going to be a flash in the pan, so I thought I better do something while I had the money.

"I just believe that if a company makes money it should give something back to the community. This is just about me doing my bit."

The projects helped by Mr Heselden so far include a junior football team on a troubled housing estate, an indoor bowling club for older people and a support group for those with long-term health issues.

Substantial donations have also been made to the national charity, Help For Heroes.

Mr Heselden added: "If Hesco Bastion can help change people's lives in even a small way then that's great."