Mum of Brianna Ghey launches schools project in bid to promote 'compassion and empathy'
07.09.2023 - 11:33
/ manchestereveningnews.co.uk
The mum of Brianna Ghey has launched a campaign in her daughter's memory to support children in her hometown of Warrington.
Brianna, 16, a transgender girl from Birchwood, died in February aged 16 after an incident at Culcheth Linear Park. A boy and a girl have been charged with her murder.
Esther Ghey says the impact her daughter's death has had on her and her family was 'enormous' and that she has 'decided to help make a difference to our society to reduce the risk of this happening again to another young person.'
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The short-term goal of the 'Peace in Mind' campaign is to raise enough money to fund sending teachers from Warrington on Mindfulness in Schools Project (MiSP) training courses which it is hoped will allow them to better support children of all ages. An initial target of £50,000 has been set.
Ms Ghey says mindfulness techniques in schools will allow children to process and deal with negative emotions in a healthy way – preventing mental health problems from developing in later life.
“The crime that was inflicted on Brianna is not a one-off," she says. "Senseless acts of violence are happening far too often. I believe, to prevent this from reoccurring we need to weave empathy, compassion, and resilience throughout our society.”
The campaign has been launched in conjunction with the Warrington Guardian. Tom Bedworth, community reporter at the paper said: “The whole town came together following Brianna’s death, and we hope everyone will get behind our campaign, too. If we can make a difference to just one child, then we will have been successful.''