The mother of murdered teenager Brianna Ghey has raised enough funds to introduce mindfulness lessons in every school in Warrington, her hometown. About £100,000 will be used to train teachers in the meditation technique, which Esther Ghey said she used to cope with her grief.
Brianna, 16, who was transgender, was murdered in a park in Warrington in February 2023. Through her campaign, Peace in Mind, Ms Ghey has been raising money to bring mindfulness into schools across the country. The initiative has already been introduced at Brianna's school, Birchwood Community High School.
Ms Ghey told BBC Radio Manchester the campaign now had enough funds to bring mindfulness to all schools in Warrington. She added that most schools had signed up and 'some teachers have already been trained - it's so exciting.'
Mindfulness is a calming technique that involves noticing what is happening in the present moment, without judgment, according to the charity Mind. Brianna had suffered from anxiety, and Ms Ghey is calling on the government to introduce mindfulness lessons in all schools.
'Teachers and schools are really overwhelmed at the moment, so we need to make sure that there is time to do this,' she said. 'What's the point in leaving school with straight As if you're suffering from crippling anxiety? You're just not going to be able to cope in the real world.'
The government said it had no plans to introduce mindfulness in every school but added that the current Relationships, Health and Sex Education curriculum had a 'strong focus' on mental health and wellbeing, and all schools had been offered grants to train a senior mental health lead by 2025. Ms Ghey said she hoped the positive impact of pupils in Warrington learning mindfulness would be a way to remember Brianna.
