I was among Midlands attendees at Christian music festival where sign fell killing man and injuring six others

The 41-year-old man was among around 40,000 people at the Big Church Festival at Surrey’s Wiston Park when tragedy struck in windy conditions on Friday (August 28)afternoon.

The contemporary Christian music event attracts big name acts from the genre with US gospel star Cece Winans due to headline over the bank holiday weekend.

Paige Hardiman, aged 20, of Willenhall, had been attending the event with a group of relatives and friends . She told the Express & Star: “Big Church Festival 2026 started as any other year with a long pilgrimage from the car park to the camping village to sent up a home away from home for the weekend. Friday morning began with reuniting with friends and church family, negotiating which acts we were going to see and deciding 3pm would be the best window to regroup for lunch.

“After seeing Aodhan King at the Worship Tent my friend and I made our way down the hill to see Strings and Heart at the main stage. After dancing our hearts out it was time to part ways for those pre-arranged late lunch plans.

“I was standing over my camping stove overlooking the hill when the first ambulance made its way over the top with sirens and lights. This wasn’t anything out of the ordinary and it wasn’t until we noticed an air ambulance circling the site for somewhere appropriate to land that we began to fear the worst.

“Very quickly the camp site started to fill up as people calmly made their way back to their tents, we heard first from passers by and then from friends that the festival had been put on pause.

“The music had stopped, campers were sent back to the tent village and those staying off-site were asked to gather at the main stage. Next came the text messages and phone calls to and from our friends on site to check in on everyone. We then heard that those who were in the Worship Tent and the top of the hill listening to Chroma Worship were being held inside the tent. At 4.17 we received official communication from the Big Church Festival team confirming there had been a serious incident.

“By 4.30 I received a call from my friend to say she was safe and on her way from the Worship Tent back to the camping village. While campers waited for further instructions and information, those staying off-site were asked to leave the festival. And the rest of the site went into lockdown for those camping on-site. It was then we received information that the festival had been cancelled for the rest of the day.

“The festival team were walking around the village to check on campers and encouraging us to gather together and worship amongst ourselves. Throughout the evening, food vendors stayed open and then closed. As we waited for confirmation that the festival was indeed cancelled for the entire weekend, groups gathered to sing together in various sections of the camping village while others began to pack up and make the journey home.

“Later in the evening it was made official that the festival had been bought to a close as six people had been injured and one person had sadly passed away. A message was put on a big screen on the camp village green stating that campers were now allowed to leave site and go home if they wished. Those who’d preferred to stay the night had until midday on Saturday to leave. By this time more people began to pack up and leave.

“We continued to check in on friends around the site and gave a helping hand to those who had decided to pack up before the morning. We are thankful for the safety of our friends and church family, and are grateful for the Big Church Festival team who worked tirelessly to keep festival goers informed while dealing with the events of Friday afternoon. As we journey back to the Midlands our thoughts and prayers remain with those affected by the incident and the family and friends of the man who has tragically passed away.”

In a statement the festival’s organisers stated that they were ”devastated” and heartbroken” and that their thoughts were first and foremost with those who have been affected. The Archbishop of Canterbury Dame Sarah Mullally released a prayer and stated she was “shocked and saddened”.