Counting the crowd at the charity fete

Last summer I volunteered to manage the gate at our village charity fete. My job was simple: count every person who came through so the organisers knew attendance and could plan next year.

I started with a paper list, making a mark for each arrival. By noon my hand ached, the page was a blur of strokes, and I had completely lost the count when a coach party of forty walked in at once.

A friend showed me a handy tally tool on her phone. One tap per person, a big readable number, and a reset button for the next session. I used it for the rest of the day without a single mistake.

We logged 1,200 visitors that day. The organisers were delighted, and I have been the official gate counter ever since.

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