Samuel Lynch has never married — and doesn’t regret it. Being single means he can do exactly what he wants; in his case that means helping others.

“That hasn’t been a disappointment,” the 71-year-old said. “It has left me free to go to various places and do what I want.”

He is involved with the Willing Workers, a group that travels to help poverty-stricken around the world each year.

“We’ve been to the West Indies, most of the American states, England and Africa,” he said. “We try to help people, taking them clothes and food. We usually have a soup kitchen every time we go.”

The group targets impoverished areas to make sure they give a helping hand to those most in need.

“We try to help people there with food and clothes,” he said. “We visit the hospitals and the prisons and Aids clinics. We try to bring hope in whatever way we can.”

An elder at the Devonshire Seventh-day Adventist Church, he is frequently called “pastor” by those he helps, probably because of the time he spends with them in prayer.

Mr Lynch was in South Africa in December 2013 when Nelson Mandela died.

“After he died, we went to an evening event held in Cape Town,” he said. “It was huge. There must have been a million people there. It was the first time I saw so many people together.

“It was difficult to get through the crowd.”

On a visit a few years earlier, he and his group tried to meet the famous anti-apartheid leader.

“We travelled from Cape Town to Johannesburg by train,” he said. “We started out at 8am, travelled all night and got there at 11am the next day.”

Unfortunately for them, Mr Mandela was busy seeing other people.

“It wasn’t a waste of time,” said Mr Lynch. “We went to Johannesburg to see various things.

“One thing I learnt was how big South Africa was. We’d travelled all that way and still not reached the end of it.

“When you travel, you recognise that Bermuda is a small little dot. You see how vast the world is.”

He never imagined visiting such far away places as a child.

He spent his early years in Portland, Jamaica, where his family had no running water or electricity.

“We had to go out to get water,” he said. “But it wasn’t too far to walk.”

His parents, Jacob and Lucita Lynch, were very strict.

“They were Christians and we were raised in the church,” he said.

His first big adventure came at 18 — a trip to Bermuda. His sister, Ellen Douglas, was already living on the island.

“I was excited because I wanted to see the world,” he said. “It was the 1960s. Bermuda wasn’t as crowded back then. There weren’t as many cars on the road. Jobs were not a problem either because tourism was at its height. There were lots of hotels and guesthouses. There were college weeks. It was good.”

He studied at the Bermuda Hotel and Catering College, learning all aspects of the trade.

“I did the City & Guild exams in waiting and cookery,” he said. “After I graduated I worked at the Hamilton Princess for a while and then at Waterloo House. I was able to meet so many people.”

He quit to help his sister run Hope Homes, then a residential charity for people with mental challenges. Today, he maintains several vegetable gardens for charities.

It helps Teen Haven shave money off their food bill.

“The hardest part about maintaining a garden is weeding it,” said Mr Lynch. “But you get fresh air, sunlight and activity, plus you get your food.”

His hope is that it also encourages people to become vegetarian. He stopped eating meat in high school although he initially ate fish.

“I did a project on vegetarianism,” he said. “I was so impressed by what I learnt that I decided to take it on.

“Then one day someone at the school opened up a fish and there were all these bits of hospital waste inside. That was the last time I ate fish.

“I tried to eat it a few years ago. My aunt gave me fish stew. I just brought it all back up immediately. My body just wasn’t conditioned to eating it anymore.”

Today, people often remark on how young he looks. He credits that to all the vegetables.

“I think vegetarians age slower,” he said.

These days he says he is “retired but not retired”.

“I am always working in the community doing various things,” he said. “The Willing Workers has lots of activities.”

Group numbers have dropped from 50 to 15 in the past 15 years.

“A lot of people are older now and not so active,” he said. “In my life I am most proud of helping people in gardening and visiting people in various parts of world.”

If you wish to suggest an outstanding senior contact Jessie Moniz Hardy: 278-0150 or jmhardy@royalgazette.com. Please have at hand the senior’s full name, contact details and the reason you are suggesting them