James heselden biography
Home / General Biography Information / James heselden biography
In the same year， he created the Hesco Bastion Fund with an estimated $16 million donation to the Leeds Community Foundation. Filled with sand or earth, they quickly found favour with the armies of several countries, as they allowed effective blast walls, barriers and revetments to be quickly constructed.
Made in Hesco"s factory in Leeds, these were shipped (flat-packed) in great numbers to conflict zones, including Kosovo, Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as later being used for flood defences at New Orleans.
He was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire) in the 2006 Queen"s Birthday Honours, "for services to the Defence industry and to Charity."
In 2008, Heselden donated £1.5 million to the Help Foreign Heroes fund through a charity auction bid for nine people to fly with the Red Arrows and, in the same year, set up the Hesco Bastion Fund in his home city with a £10 million donation to the Leeds Community Foundation.
Jimi Heselden
entrepreneur
James William "Jimi" Heselden Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire was a British entrepreneur. These barriers replaced traditional sandbagging, enabling quicker deployment—units can be assembled and filled in hours rather than days—reducing manpower needs from dozens to a few soldiers and minimizing logistical burdens in conflict zones.[36] Widely deployed by coalition forces in Iraq and Afghanistan for base protection against blasts and small arms fire, the barriers have been credited with saving thousands of soldiers' lives by providing scalable, effective fortifications that enhanced force protection without extensive engineering.[37]In December 2009, Heselden acquired Segway Inc., the manufacturer of the self-balancing personal transporter, for an undisclosed sum amid the company's ongoing struggles with low sales and profitability since its 2001 launch.
These gabions are widely used for flood protection and erosion control.
Entrepreneurship and Philanthropy
In 1989, Heselden founded the company 'Hesco Bastion Ltd.' to manufacture these gabions. The gabions, produced at the Hesco factory in Leeds, were extensively shipped to conflict zones, including Kosovo, Iraq, and Afghanistan.
on 26 September 2010, West Yorkshire Police received reports of a man falling 80 feet (24 m) or 42 feet (13 m) into the River Wharfe, at the village of Thorp Architecture near Boston Spa, apparently having fallen from the cliffs above.
The fall from a narrow footpath was witnessed by a man walking his dog nearby.
A Segway vehicle was recovered and Heselden was pronounced dead at the scene by paramedics.
The company initially focused on manufacturing collapsible wire-mesh containers lined with geotextile fabric, designed to be filled with earth, sand, or soil for applications in flood management and erosion control.
Jimi Heselden
Early Life
Childhood and Education
James William Heselden was born on 27 March 1948 in Halton Moor, a working-class suburb of Leeds, England, where he grew up on a council estate amid communities dependent on the coal mining industry.[6][1] His family background reflected the modest circumstances typical of post-war Britain's industrial north, with early life shaped by the local economy's reliance on manual labor in collieries.[2][7]Heselden attended Osmondthorpe Secondary Modern School in Leeds, leaving at age 15—a common path in the 1960s for youths in mining districts prioritizing vocational entry into the workforce over prolonged academic study.[2][6] Upon departing school, he took up work as a laborer before transitioning to employment at nearby collieries, including Temple Newsam and Lofthouse, gaining initial hands-on experience in industrial settings during the era's coal sector challenges.[2][3] This limited formal education underscored the practical orientation of his formative years in a region where economic survival often demanded early immersion in physical trades rather than scholarly pursuits.[1][8]Entry into Mining
Heselden left school at the age of 15 and initially worked as a labourer before entering the coal mining industry in the Leeds area of West Yorkshire.[2] He took up employment at local collieries, including Temple Newsam, Lofthouse, and Waterloo, where he faced the physically arduous conditions typical of underground pit work during the late 1960s and 1970s.[2][7] These Yorkshire mines operated amid strong influences from the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM), which shaped labor dynamics through collective bargaining and periodic disputes over wages and safety.[3]The demanding nature of coal extraction involved long shifts in hazardous environments, with workers handling heavy machinery, explosives for blasting, and rudimentary containment structures to manage rockfalls and debris—experiences that exposed Heselden to basic principles of materials handling and structural barriers.[7] Despite the camaraderie among pit workers, the role demanded physical resilience amid risks of cave-ins, dust inhalation, and machinery accidents, contributing to high injury rates in the industry.[2]Heselden's mining career ended in the mid-1980s amid widespread pit closures following the 1984–1985 miners' strike, a confrontation between the NUM and the Thatcher government that accelerated the shutdown of uneconomic collieries as part of broader economic restructuring to reduce subsidies and improve productivity.[3][6] He received a redundancy payout from these reforms, which provided seed capital for his subsequent ventures, reflecting how structural shifts in the coal sector—driven by declining demand, overcapacity, and policy changes—displaced thousands of workers and prompted many to seek alternative livelihoods.[6] This period marked the end of an era for Britain's coal industry, with over 100 pits closed by the late 1980s, fundamentally altering communities in regions like Yorkshire.[3]Business Career
Founding of Hesco Bastion
Jimi Heselden established Hesco Bastion Ltd.in 1989, utilizing funds received from his redundancy as a coal miner following the closure of the Monkton Main Colliery. Recording a verdict of accidental death, West Yorkshire Coroner David Hinchliff told Heselden"s family: "I think it"s probable — I think typical of Jimi and the type of man he was — he held back and waited as an act of courtesy to allow Mr Christie (a dog walker) more room.
In so doing, he"s attempted to reverse the Segway back.
As a result of that he"s got into difficulty.".
Membership
His estate, bequeathed to his widow and family, was worth over £340 million and he was ranked in the top 400 members of the Sunday Times Rich List.
His focus on utilitarian products that addressed real-world demands for speed and efficacy in high-stakes environments demonstrated value creation via empirical problem-solving, amassing a fortune estimated at over £300 million by 2010.[1][28]
Philanthropic and Economic Contributions
Heselden's enterprise Hesco Bastion Ltd persisted after his September 2010 death under family stewardship, sustaining hundreds of jobs in Leeds across its 25 acres of manufacturing facilities and upholding the firm's role in producing deployable barriers for military blast protection and flood defense.[7][39] The company's ongoing operations exemplified private sector contributions to community resilience and defense infrastructure, with products deployed globally for verifiable protective efficacy in conflict zones and disaster response.[40]His £343 million estate enabled family-directed continuation of charitable commitments, channeling resources into initiatives like Help for Heroes, which supports rehabilitation for wounded British veterans.[39] Heselden's prior £1.5 million donation in 2008, secured through a charity auction for Red Arrows flight experiences, directly funded veteran aid programs emphasizing practical recovery outcomes over publicity.[22] Overall donations exceeding £23 million prioritized targeted, impact-driven philanthropy in military welfare and local foundations, fostering sustained economic and social benefits without reliance on public funding.[41]Source of Wealth: Hesco Bastion Age: 71 Birth Place: Halton Moor， Leeds， England， UK Marital Status: Married to Julie Full Name: James William Heselden Nationality: United Kingdom Date of Birth: March 27， 1948 Occupation: Founder of Hesco Bastion Ltd.
Jimi Heselden was a successful British entrepreneur who has an estimated net worth of $250 million.
An investigation into the circumstances of his death is currently underway, as it is unknown whether this tragic accident was a result of a driver error or if the machines are not as safe as they are claimed to be.
At the time of his death, Heselden's net worth was estimated at £166 million, and he ranked 395th on 'The Sunday Times' list of the richest people in Great Britain.
Heselden died in 2010 from injuries apparently sustained falling from a cliff while riding his own product.
At the age of 15, Heselden left Osmondthorpe Secondary Modern School to work as a labourer and then at collieries in Temple Newsam and Lofthouse.
He lost his job in the wave of redundancies that followed the 1984-1985 miners" strike and spent his redundancy money on renting a workshop and, at first, setting up a sandblasting business.
A 'Segway' was found at the scene, and Heselden was pronounced dead upon the arrival of medical assistance. In recognition of his contributions to the defense industry and charity, Heselden was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire on the Queen's Birthday in 2006.
Heselden was known for his generous philanthropy.
He used to be a coal miner who made his fortune when he founded Hesco Bastion Ltd. in 1989 so he could manufacture his invention.
Background
Heselden grew up in the Halton Moor district of Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. The design emphasized engineering efficiency by leveraging locally available fill materials, reducing logistical demands and enabling rapid response to environmental threats such as coastal erosion or riverbank stabilization.
However， he died in the same year after suffering from injuries that he sustained when he fell from a cliff while riding a Segway.
Born James William Heselden on March 27， 1948 in Halton Moor， Leeds， England， UK， he was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) during the 2006 Queen’s Birthday Honours for services to the Defense industry and to Charity.
Filled with sand or soil, they quickly gained popularity among the armies of several countries for their ability to build effective blast barriers, barriers, and cladding, as well as their quick construction. At the age of 15, he left school to work as a miner in Temple Newsam and Lofthouse. Unlike conventional methods requiring extensive manual labor, the bastions could be erected by small teams using basic equipment, providing a scalable solution grounded in practical material properties and structural mechanics.[9][6]Early market validation came from civilian sectors, including construction projects where the units served as temporary retaining walls and site enclosures.
He added an additional £3 million to the fund in 2009 and £10 million in 2010.