A large wooden arch bearing the words “Everything’s Unmissable” blew over at a Christian festival in West Sussex on Aug. 28, 2026, and the pastor it struck died of multiple severe injuries and blunt force trauma, an inquest opening in Brighton heard Wednesday, Oct. 14.
Robert Guanco, 41, who led Jesus the Living Water Church in Eastbourne, East Sussex, had traveled to the Big Church Festival on a site off Washington Road near Steyning. Six other people were injured when the structure came down, four of them taken to hospitals.
What the Inquest Heard
At Woodvale Coroner’s Court, a statement from coroner’s officer Alex Jones was read to the hearing. It recorded that Guanco was born in the Philippines, worked as a health care assistant alongside his ministry, was married, and died while attending the festival.
“A large wooden arch has fallen over a temporary road, landing on several members of the public,” Jones said.
A post-mortem examination gave a provisional cause of death as multiple severe injuries and blunt force trauma, the court was told. Area coroner Joseph Turner extended condolences to Guanco’s family before adjourning the hearing and fixing a provisional pre-inquest review for March 9, 2027, in Horsham.
Speaking afterward, Guanco’s widow, Isaeli Guanco, known as Isay, said she hoped that learning what happened to her husband would help the family grieve and keep other families from the same loss. The weeks since his death have upended the family’s life, she said.
“Suddenly losing Robert has been a huge challenge – I’ve gone from planning our daughter’s birthday party a few weeks ago to organising his funeral,” she told the BBC.
A Festival Cut Short
The festival, billed as the U.K.’s biggest Christian event of its kind and built around worship, music and performances, first took place in 2009. It opened Aug. 28 and had been due to run until Aug. 30. Organizers called off the rest of it, saying they were heartbroken and devastated by the incident.
Witnesses at the time described crowds rushing in to lift the heavy arch after the wind took it down. Many festivalgoers learned something had gone wrong only when the God TV Christian faith channel announced that the livestream had been paused because of unforeseen circumstances.
Tributes and a Fundraising Appeal
A funeral service was held at King’s Church in Eastbourne on Friday, Oct. 9. Mourners spoke of a man whose faith and dedication they admired, and those who knew him described him as a big brother to the people around him.
His church remembered him in a tribute as a faithful servant of God, a husband to Isay and a devoted, caring father to the couple’s daughter, Ellie, adding that his faith, love and service would always be remembered. Churches Together in England offered prayers and said it stood with churches across the country in shared grief.
A GoFundMe appeal set up by family friend June Ramores to support Guanco’s family has raised more than £243,000 toward a £250,000 target. Ramores, who wrote that he was more than a pastor, said the money is meant to help the family through an unimaginable loss and the practical and financial strain that follows an unexpected death.
Lines of Inquiry Still Open
Horsham District Council is leading a health and safety investigation into how the arch came down. A council spokesperson said investigators were still working through a number of lines of inquiry.
Sussex Police said the incident was reported to the Health and Safety Executive and to the local authority. Detective Chief Superintendent Richard McDonagh asked anyone among the thousands of people on the site on Aug. 28 who has information or video footage to come forward.