Brianna Ghey’s mum said her grieving process has been helped “massively” after seeing “how good people can be”.
Esther Ghey issued an update today, Tuesday, November 7, on what would have been Brianna’s 17th birthday. The mum-of-two thanked those who have supported the campaign, Peace in Mind, which was set up following the death of the Warrington teenager earlier this year.
The campaign aims to train school staff in the town in mindfulness practices and in doing so allow schools to provide more support for the mental health of pupils.
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Writing on the campaign page, Esther said: “I'm extremely grateful for all of the support that our campaign has received. I've met so many really lovely people who want to help improve the mental health of our young people and make the world a better place.
"Everything that we have done so far has been welcomed with positivity. After what has happened to our family, it is helping me massively to see how good people can be.
"The amount of support that we've received since the launch of the Peace in Mind campaign has been amazing. From the start, we have had the backing of the Warrington Wolves and the Warrington Wolves Charitable Foundation. I'm still working closely with them and look forward to all of the exciting events we have planned.
"We have also had support from Warrington's schools. Chris Hunt, headteacher at Culcheth High School, facilitated a donation from the high schools of £7,755, which is just fantastic. Additionally, 21 schools across Warrington have already started the first round of MiSP training and we have many more signed up for the next intake."
On Saturday, February 11, Brianna was found with multiple stab wounds in a Warrington Park – just hours after she had spoken with her mum, Esther and posted a video to her TikTok account. The transgender Birchwood High School student was stabbed to death and left to be found by members of the public on a path in Culcheth’s Linear Park.
Esther previously told the ECHO how mindfulness helped her grieve after Brianna’s death. The mum-of-two, who is a new product development technologist, said: “Brianna struggled with her mental health and had never tried mindfulness. I think that if it was taught in schools and normalised then more older children would be willing to give it a go.
“I have struggled with anxiety myself and find that mindfulness helps massively. It helps to bring you back to the body and the present moment and stops you from overthinking the past or the future.
“It also teaches you any emotions you are feeling are okay. It helps you to sit with these emotions and let them pass by, without latching onto them and letting them snowball into something that is uncontrollable. This is helping me to navigate my grief in a healthy way and to push for positivity in Brianna's name.”
A trial date for two teenagers – a boy and a girl, both 15, – who are accused of Brianna's murder, but can't be named for legal reasons, initially had been set for July, 10 at Liverpool Crown Court. However, a new trial date has been set for November, 27 at Manchester Crown Court and is estimated to last up to three weeks. Both of the accused have denied murder.
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