Richest people in Leeds and Yorkshire: Mel B, Kaiser Chiefs and Helen Skelton among celebs who’ve had a prosperous year

Yorkshire is God’s Own County and is home to some very successful people including Sheffield’s Meadowhall founder Paul Sykes and actor Sean Bean.

It is also the birth place of some great bands including the Artic Monkeys and the Kaiser Chiefs.

Sir William Adderley and his family top the list of the richest people in Yorkshire with an eye-watering £1.78 billion networth, while World Cup star Harry Maguire and Countryfile presenter Helen Skelton are on the rise.

From musicians to businessmen, let’s take a look at nine of the richest people in Leeds and Yorkshire.

Sir William Adderley

Sir William Adderley, known as Bill, grew up on a council estate in Leeds and supported Leeds United.

He first worked as a manager at Woolworths, before taking over from his parents - who were the founders of Dunelm - in 2006.

In 2021, he sold a £211m stake in Dunelm to “broaden his investment portfolio” but the Adderley family still own 43% of shares.

The 74-year-old and his family are worth £1.78 billion according to the Sunday Times Rich List , where they sit in 103rd place.

Graham Kirkham

Graham, known as The Right Honourable Lord Kirkham, was previously the founder and chairman of sofa retailer DFS.

He is now a shareholder in Iceland supermarkets and has invested in a Whitby chain of fish and chip shops.

The 78-year-old, who was born in Doncaster, is 158th on the Sunday Times Rich List, which lists his worth as £1.14 billion.

Paul Sykes

Barsley-born businessman Paul Sykes, left school with no qualifications and began working various jobs, before moving into the property development industry.

He later became the founder of Meadowhall in Sheffield, which was Britain’s largest ever shopping complex at the time.

In 1999 Sykes sold Meadowhall for £1.17 billion, less than ten years after it opened.

A year earlier, he had also sold his internet firm Planet Online to Energis for £85 million.

The 79-year-old, who now lives in Ripon, North Yorkshire, is worth £775 million according to the Sunday Times Rich List - where he sits in 212th place.

Richard Harpin

Richard Harpin is the founder and CEO of HomeServe, and in 2021 he featured on the Sunday Times Rich List.

The 58-year-old was born in Huddersfield and later graduated from the University of York. He now lives in York with his wife and three children, and uses a helicopter to commute to work in Walsall, Merseyside.

Harpin holds a 7.2% stake in HomeServe and his wife owns a 4.7% shareholding. Their combined stake is worth £440 million

He also founded The Enterprise Trust and investment fund Growth Partner.

Despite not making it onto the Sunday Times Rich List this year, Wikipedia last reported that his net worth was at £627 million.

Sean Bean

Sean Bean is an actor famed for his roles in HBO’s Game of Thrones and the Lord of the Rings trilogy.

The 63-year-old was born in the Handsworth suburb of Sheffield and attened Rother College of Arts and Technology, where he studied welding before later enrolling on a drama course.

According to Celebrity Net Worth, he has a net worth of $20 million (£16.6 million).

Alex Turner of the Arctic Monkeys

Arctic Monkeys was formed in Sheffield in 2002 and have since gone on to release seven studio albums and win 42 awards including seven Brit Awards.

The rock band consists of Alex Turner, Jamie Cook, Matt Helders and Nick O’Malley - with the latter joining in 2006 following the departure of bass guitarist Andy Nicholson.

Lead vocalist and front man Alex, 36, was born in Sheffield and grew up in the High Green suburb of the city.

According to Celebrity Net Worth, the frontman has a net worth of $25 million (£21 million), which is equal to Jamie, who also grew up in High Green.

Sheffield born drummer Matt has a lower worth of $16 million (£13.3 million) according to the same site.

Harry Maguire

Harry Maguire is a Manchester United and England footballer who was born in Sheffield and raised in the village of Mosborough.

He originally played for Sheffield United after coming up through their junior academy, until a £2.5 million move to fellow Yorkshire team Hull City in July 2014.

The World Cup star has a net worth of £17 million at just age 29 and features on the Sunday Times Young Rich List alongside other Manchester United players.

Ricky Wilson of the Kaiser Chiefs

Kaiser Chiefs, formerly known as Parva, were formed in Leeds in 2000 and have since gone on to release seven studio albums and win 14 awards including three Brit Awards.

Ricky Wilson, Andrew White, Simon Rix and Nick Baines have been members of the band since it formed, whilst drummer Vijay Mistry joined in 2013 following the departure of Nick Hodgson.

Lead vocalist Ricky, 44, was born in Keighley in West Yorkshire and according to Celebrity Net Worth, he has a net worth of $10 million (£8.3 million).

Helen Skelton

Helen Skelton is a television presenter best known for her work on Countryfile and formerly Blue Peter.

Although born in Cumbria, she was living in Leeds with her Leeds Rhino star husband Richie Myler until they split in April this year, and she moved back to her parents Lake District farm.

This year, Helen competed in Strictly Come Dancing and was later crowned a runner up alongside her partner Gorka Marquez.

The 39-year-old has a net worth of $6 million (£5 million) according to Celebrity Net Worth, whilst her ex’s is slightly lower at $5 million (£4.15million), according to Famous Birthdays.

Melanie Brown

Melanie Brown, better known as Mel B or Scary Spice, was a member of pop group Spice Girls which formed in 1994.

She has since starred in various films - most recently A New Diva’s Christmas Carol - judged and presenter television talent-shows across the globe, released several solo albums and published an autobiography.

The 47-year-old, who grew up in the Kirkstall area of Leeds, has a net worth of $6 million (£5 million), according to Celebrity Net Worth.