Wightlink ferry captain Steve Baker, based in Lymington, delivering safety gear to well diggers in Sierra Leone

A FERRY captain who works out of Lymington has pledged to deliver donations of safety gear to people digging wells in West Africa.

Wightlink’s Steve Baker combines sailing the Solent with volunteering on a project in Sierra Leone which supports local people bringing water to their villages.

He is now appealing for donations of unwanted safety shoes, helmets and clothing like high-visibility jackets that are still in good condition.

Wightlink has already handed over its unwanted personal protective equipment (PPE) for onward shipment to Sierra Leone.

Steve, who works as a master on Wightlink’s Lymington-to-Yarmouth route, says he has seen first-hand how digging wells changes lives, especially for women and children who carry bulky water containers to their villages.

“It’s almost unbelievable that in 2025 so many people do not have access to clean water,” he said. “One of the villages we are helping is Masaya where a river is their only source so a borehole will transform life in the community.

“PPE is almost non-existent in outback Sierra Leone and we have had a few injuries over the years as a result. It’s not unusual for me to look down a 70ft deep well that is being hand dug and see a worker in the bottom who is totally unprotected from any stones that may fall in.”

Steve works with small charities on the ground in Sierra Leone that support local communities.

In 2024, he took a team of engineers from the mission ship Logos to put a new engine into an abandoned tractor to help villagers in the south of Sierra Leone to grow more rice.