Brianna Ghey legacy fundraising campaign reaches initial £50,000 target

A campaign honouring Brianna Ghey – a young girl who was murdered last year – has reached its initial target of £50,000.

Brianna (16) (pictured) was stabbed 28 times in an unprovoked attack by teenagers Scarlett Jenkinson and Eddie Ratcliffe, who were sentenced to a minimum of 22 and 20 years, respectively.

This legacy fund will go towards mindfulness training for teachers in Warrington, where she was from, and beyond.

Jointly set up by Esther Ghey (Brianna’s mum) and the Warrington Guardian, the Peace in Mind campaign was started in September 2023, attracting donations from individuals and businesses around the world.

Money raised will fund vital training and support for teachers through the Mindfulness in Schools Project (MiSP), a charity that aims to equip today’s young people with mindfulness skills and techniques that will support their lifelong wellbeing

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 Peace in Mind campaign has also reached parliament, with a House of Commons debate on mindfulness in schools, led by local Warrington North MP Charlotte Nichols, taking place at 2.30pm on February 7.

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; “We want to say an enormous thank you to Esther, the Warrington Guardian, and everyone who contributed to the Peace in Mind campaign. 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.”

A vigil for Brianna is being held at 3pm on the anniversary of her death, February 11, 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