Britain30 August, 20262 min read
Robert Guanco Killed By Falling Sign At Big Church Festival Near Steyning, West Sussex
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Robert Guanco, 41, pastor at Jesus the Living Water Church (Eastbourne), killed by falling sign. Six others injured; festival near Steyning, West Sussex, organizers declared a serious incident.
8 outlets told this the same way.
Sign falls at festival
A falling wooden sign killed Robert Guanco, 41, at Big Church Festival (BCF) near Steyning in West Sussex on Friday afternoon, as the event was underway. The Telegraph identified Guanco as a pastor at Jesus the Living Water Church in Eastbourne, East Sussex, and said the incident also injured six others.
BBC News reported that six other people were injured at the Big Church Festival by a falling sign near Steyning, with four taken to hospital for treatment. Sussex Police said officers were called about 3.40pm on Friday (August 28) after reports that a large sign had fallen and injured a number of people at the festival in Washington Road.
Tributes and official response
Jesus the Living Water Church in Eastbourne said it was “devastated by the serious incident” and described Guanco as a “faithful servant of God,” while the BBC said the church invited people to the Sovereign Harbour Community Centre in Eastbourne on Sunday to commemorate him. Dame Sarah Mullally, the Archbishop of Canterbury, said she was “sad and shocked” and prayed for “his family, friends and loved ones as they grieve” as well as those receiving treatment.
Sussex Police urged anyone with information to come forward and said the Health and Safety Executive and local authority had also been informed about the incident. Premier Christian News reported that pastor Norman Ponce said the death turned “a time of worship, fellowship, and celebration” into “an unimaginable tragedy,” and said Guanco’s family was facing an “unimaginable loss.”
What happens next
Organisers brought Big Church Festival 2026 to an early close after the incident, with the event described as the UK’s biggest Christian festival and due to run until Sunday before being cancelled. The Christian Post said organizers closed the festival out of compassion after a sign fell and killed one person and injured six others near Steyning, and quoted Detective Chief Superintendent Richard McDonagh saying officers were working with partners to determine what happened.
The Argus said Sussex Police was working with Horsham District Council as part of a joint investigation and that officers were continuing enquiries to support the coronial process. The Telegraph reported that South East Coast Ambulance Service was called out just after 3.30pm and treated six people at the scene, with four taken to local hospitals for further treatment including two with more serious injuries and two with less serious injuries.