Pastor killed as festival arch collapses in West Sussex winds
Developed over time first seen 2 months ago
A pastor died and six other people were injured when a large wooden archway collapsed in high winds at the Big Church Festival on the Wiston Estate near Steyning, West Sussex, on Friday. Robert Guanco, 41, a pastor at Jesus Living Water Church in Eastbourne, was killed when the sign, which read "Everything's Unmissable", was toppled by a strong gust of wind. His death prompted organisers to cancel the remainder of the sold-out three-day event, which had been expected to draw around 40,000 attendees and more than 60 music artists and worship leaders, and Sussex Police are investigating whether the structure had been properly secured.
Of the six people injured, four were taken to hospital for treatment. Witness Fred Abbott, who was about 20 metres away with his family near Tom's Stage when he heard a "massive crack and bang", said he and between 30 and 50 other festival-goers rushed to lift the sign off those trapped beneath it, describing five people lying motionless on the ground, including a man bleeding from his head and mouth. The Met Office had warned of windy conditions over the Bank Holiday weekend, with gusts of up to 27mph recorded nearby in Shoreham that afternoon. Mr Guanco's church paid tribute to him as a devoted husband to Isay and father to Ellie, while Sussex Police appealed for witnesses as they work with festival organisers to establish exactly what happened.
- Pastor Robert Guanco, 41, killed by falling festival archway in high winds
- Six others hurt, four hospitalised; rest of festival cancelled
- Police investigating whether the structure was properly secured
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Sussex Police were investigating the Big Church Festival, an annual Christian music and worship event held on the Wiston Estate near Steyning, when a large wooden archway collapsed in strong winds. The gathering was sold out and expecting around 40,000 people over the Bank Holiday weekend, with more than 60 music artists and worship leaders due to appear.
Robert Guanco, a 41-year-old pastor from Eastbourne, died after the structure fell, and six other people were hurt, four seriously enough to need hospital treatment. Organisers cancelled the rest of the three-day event, and the Met Office had already forecast blustery weather over the weekend.
The case matters both as a personal tragedy for Mr Guanco's family, church and the wider festival community, and because it raises broader questions about the safety of temporary structures at large outdoor events in bad weather. Police are now examining whether the arch was properly secured, which could have implications for how such installations are checked and regulated in future.
Full account
A man died and several other people were hurt on Friday 28 August after a large wooden archway came down in high winds at the Big Church Festival, a Christian music event held at Wiston Park (also referred to as the Wiston Estate) near Steyning in West Sussex. The sold-out, three-day gathering, which describes itself as the UK's largest Christian music festival and had attracted around 40,000 attendees, was in its opening hours when the structure — a large sign bearing the words "Everything's Unmissable" — toppled onto people nearby. Sussex Police confirmed a 41-year-old man was pronounced dead at the scene, while South East Coast Ambulance Service said five further casualties were treated on site, four of whom were taken to hospital, two with more serious injuries; one account put the total number of people hurt at six.
The man who died was named as Robert Guanco, a pastor at Jesus (The) Living Water Church in Eastbourne, who lived locally in East Sussex. His church described him as a faithful servant of God and a devoted husband to his wife, Isay, and father to his daughter, Ellie, saying he had been a blessing to many people whose lives he had touched. The Archbishop of Canterbury, Dame Sarah Mullally, said she was saddened and shocked by the news, offering prayers for Mr Guanco's family and friends as well as for those still receiving treatment and the medical staff caring for them.
Witnesses described chaotic scenes as the archway fell. Fred Abbott, a festivalgoer from Morden in south London who was sitting nearby with his family, said he heard a loud crack before rushing over with dozens of others — he estimated 30 to 50 people in total — to lift the fallen structure off those trapped beneath it. He recalled finding several people motionless on the ground, including a man bleeding heavily, and said he was left shaken by what he saw. The collapse is understood to have coincided with blustery conditions across the region over the Bank Holiday weekend; the Met Office had warned of strong winds nationally, with gusts of up to 27mph recorded in nearby Shoreham that afternoon.
Sussex Police, led by Detective Chief Superintendent Richard McDonagh, said officers were working with Horsham District Council on a joint investigation into how the collapse happened, and that the Health and Safety Executive had also been notified; one report indicated police were specifically examining whether the archway had been properly secured. Officers appealed for witnesses and video footage from the thousands present, referencing the inquiry as Operation Igloo. Festival organisers cancelled the remainder of Friday's programme before calling off the whole event, which had been due to run until Sunday and feature acts including Lauren Daigle, CeCe Winans and For King & Country. In a statement, organisers said the festival was built around bringing people together and that the community was now grieving, describing themselves as heartbroken, and said further information would be sent to ticket holders.
Where outlets differ
Casualty count: one outlet cites the ambulance service's figure of five people treated (four hospitalised, two seriously), while the other reports six people injured with four taken to hospital.
One report includes an on-the-scene eyewitness account (Fred Abbott) describing the moment of collapse and the rescue effort, plus specific Met Office wind-speed data for the area; the other does not.
One report includes reaction from the Archbishop of Canterbury; the other does not, focusing instead on police scrutiny of whether the structure was adequately secured.
Minor differences in naming Mr Guanco's church ("Jesus The Living Water Church" vs "Jesus Living Water Church") and in the level of detail given about the festival's performer line-up.