Peace in Mind campaign in memory of Brianna Ghey reaches £50,000 fundraising target
Video report by Correspondent Mel Barham
A mental health campaign honouring Brianna Ghey, a transgender girl who was murdered by two teenagers, has reached its initial target of £50,000.
Brianna was just 16 when she was stabbed to death by Scarlett Jenkinson and Eddie Ratcliffe in Culcheth Linear Park, Warrington, in February 2023.
The pair lost their anonymity on 2 February 2024 and were sentenced to life in prison - Jenkinson to a minimum of 22 years, and Ratcliffe to a minimum of 20.
The Peace in Mind campaign was set up seven months after the 16-year-old's murder by her mother Esther Ghey and the Warrington Guardian, attracting donations from across the world.
It will enable school staff in Warrington and beyond to receive training that will teach them to understand the mental health and wellbeing support pupils need.
Esther Ghey said: “Bringing mindfulness to schools can help to create communities built on empathy, compassion, and resilience.
"I believe this could create a more peaceful society for us all.”
The campaign has also reached parliament, with a House of Commons debate on mindfulness in schools, led by local Warrington North MP Charlotte Nichols on 7 February.
Mindfulness in Schools (MiSP)was established in 2009 and is one of the most experienced and well-respected providers of mindfulness training in the UK, specialising in education settings.
Emily Slater, CEO of MiSP, said: "The funds raised will go such a long way, training many more teachers in mindfulness such that they can better support the children in their care to flourish.”
Esther added: “Brianna struggled massively with her mental health and there are so many young people right now that continue to struggle.
“If we get mindfulness into schools, we can provide young people with coping strategies that they can use in their school years and the rest of their lives."
You can find out more about the fundraising campaign here
Meanwhile a vigil for Brianna is being held at 3pm 11 February, the anniversary of Brianna's death, at the Golden Square Shopping Centre in the Old Marketplace, Warrington.
Esther will be speaking at the vigil and students from Birchwood Community High School, where Brianna was a pupil, will perform music in her memory.
How could two seemingly ‘innocent’ teenagers became killers, concocting a kill list, luring Brianna into a park and stabbing her, in a "frenzied and ferocious" attack, 28 times?