An inquest has heard that Pastor Robert Guanco, 41, of Eastbourne, died at the Big Church Festival (BCF) near Steyning, West Sussex, after a large wooden arch fell over a temporary road and landed on seven people.
Emergency services were called to the site off Washington Road on August 28 after reports that a structure had crushed several members of the public. Six people were injured, four of whom were taken to hospital, and one man died at the scene.
Inquest opened in Brighton
The inquest opening in Brighton heard that Mr Guanco was born in the Philippines, worked as a health care assistant and was married. A statement from coroner’s officer Alex Jones said the arch had fallen over a temporary road, landing on several members of the public.
Following a post-mortem examination, the provisional cause of death was given as “1a multiple severe injuries and 1b blunt force trauma”. Area coroner Joseph Turner opened the inquest and said a pre-inquest review would take place on March 9 2027 in Horsham. He offered “sincere condolences” to Mr Guanco’s family.
Tributes and fundraising
Mr Guanco was previously named in a tribute from the Jesus Living Water Church Eastbourne, which described him as “our beloved pastor Robert”. The tribute said he was “a faithful servant of God, a loving husband to Isay, a devoted and caring father to Ellie, and a blessing to so many people whose lives he touched”.
A GoFundMe page set up to help his family has raised more than £243,000 towards a target of £250,000. The organisers said the page would help the family deal with their “unimaginable loss” and “the practical and financial challenges that come with such an unexpected tragedy”.
Festival response and investigation
Organisers of the BCF, billed as the UK’s biggest Christian festival, said they were “heartbroken” and “devastated by the serious incident” and cancelled the rest of the event, which had been due to run until August 30. The festival, which includes worship, music and performances, first took place in 2009.
The incident has been reported to the Health and Safety Executive and the local authority, Sussex Police said. Detective Chief Superintendent Richard McDonagh urged anyone among the “thousands of people” on site on August 28 with information or video footage to come forward.
