Generous hero

Mr Heselden, who was found dead in the River Wharfe at the weekend, apparently after riding a Segway scooter – produced by one of his own companies – into the water, had previously been reluctant to discuss the remarkable generosity which has seen him give 23m to charity over the past three years.

The founder of the Leeds wire-cage manufacturer, Hesco Bastion, had given money to many causes, both regional and national, yet channelled much of the cash into disadvantaged areas of his home city.

Indeed, it is this former miner's loyalty to his home area that should perhaps stand as his epitaph. For, in spite of the fact that it would have been cheaper to move its operations abroad, Mr Heselden believed he had a moral obligation to ensure that Hesco Bastion continued to provide employment and investment in east Leeds, where he grew up.

As quickly as his millions rolled in, Mr Heselden ploughed them back in

to his local community at precisely the time when other sources of charitable funding were drying up rapidly. Yet nor did he forget the wider world, giving further hefty donations to causes linked with the Armed Forces.

Mr Heselden's death will leave a huge void. Yet it also lends poignancy to his plea last week for other successful businessmen to follow his example. For if Mr Heselden's story can inspire others to do the same,

that would surely be this remarkable man's greatest legacy.