For most people, African tennis is a bit of a closed book, but Sally Bolton, a 25-year-old coach from the Sutton Tennis Academy, says her five-month stay in Ghana has opened her eyes to the abundance of talent in that continent.

Last July, Sally went to Ghana, venue of the current African Cup of Nations, with Gap Sports ( www.gapsports.com ) and as an ambassador for the tennis charity, Tennis for Free, set up by comedian Tony Hawks.

Sally's interest in Africa was inspired by a field-trip, while studying geography at Chichester University. She knew equipment would be scarce, so she set up Ghana Tennis Aid, at Sutton Tennis Academy, where she has played since the age of ten. A sponsored car wash contributed to the £1,500 raised and, working with Tennis For Free and other local institutions, she collected £2,500 worth of clothes, shoes, balls and rackets.

She contacted PWP Europe and the Junior Clay Tennis Registry, who donated more equipment and construction company, Taylor Woodrow, agreed to ship it all over to the tennis community she would be working with.

In Ghana, the half dozen volunteers conducted drills, private lessons and assessments on the junior national squad. They helped them get used to the new equipment and, in the process, became celebrities, being interviewed frequently on local radio stations.

Two of Sally's colleagues, Rob Sadler and Joe Page, endured a 12-hour tennis marathon, in the African heat, to raise funds to send one of the juniors, Japeth, to a scholarship try-out in South Africa. Their sunstroke was rewarded when he was accepted. They visited local schools, holding talent-spotting clinics and recruited 20 new academy players.

Sally said: “Children in Ghana and Africa have very little opportunity to develop their talents. Poverty and disease can destroy their dreams. If they do overcome these hurdles, they are faced with limited equipment, funding and coaching. They are

Sally with some future talent

desperate to develop their talents to make a better future for themselves and their families. I wanted to help in some way.”

She says the players in Ghana were very friendly, always willing to have a knock, hit some drills and could definitely hold their own against the top juniors in the UK.

Africa seems a long way from the Sutton Academy, with its high tech gym (television screens on all equipment) and a, quite frankly, terrifying spinning- room. Sally says she loved Africa and can't wait to continue with her travels.

Anyone can get involved. The charity, Right to Dream, is appealing for help to reach a target of $1 million to build a sports academy in Ghana to help children fulfil their potential, and well-known supporters include Stephen Appiah, the Ghanaian football captain.

Scholarships will be offered in six sports, including tennis, and the aim is to transform lives. To find out how you can give a child a sporting chance in Africa, visit www.righttodream.com

For more information on Sally's trip, go to www.tennisforfree.com or www.tennisforafrica.org .

For more watch the video on: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=74GXGcDwFGw