MPs to debate Brianna Ghey 'Peace in Mind' campaign calling for better mental health support in schools
The transgender schoolgirl was murdered in February last year in Cheshire.
A campaign to improve the mental health and wellbeing of school children will be debated in parliament later, following the brutal murder of a transgender teenager in Cheshire.
Brianna Ghey died in February last year after being stabbed 28 times in Culcheth Linear Park near Warrington. Her killers were both fifteen years old at the time and are currently serving life sentences.
Brianna's mum Esther Ghey is now fronting the Peace in Mind campaign, along with the Warrington Guardian, to create a lasting legacy for her daughter. The ambition is to see mindfulness training delivered to schools across England to better support young people with their mental health struggles. It's already being delivered in schools across Warrington after a successful fundraising campaign following Brianna's murder.
Today's debate will be led by Warrington North MP Charlotte Nichols, who said: "Every school in Warrington is now in the process of having mindfulness training. From those that have taken part in it so far, I'm hearing really positive things in terms of its impact, not only on student behaviour and concentration but also about what it's doing for teachers and school staff who face a lot of the same pressures and challenges that young people do.
"The young people in Brianna's class have been absolutely incredible. They've faced the kind of challenges in the last year that you wouldn't wish on anyone. Particularly coming off the back of the pandemic and all of the usual burdens of being a teenager, to then have something as awful as this happen; the resilience they’ve shown has been remarkable and I'm really proud of them.
"Mindfulness is particularly important in being able to identify and understand your emotions before acting on them. If they have a better understanding of how they're feeling and they're given the tools to regulate that, it's a really helpful practice for all of us, but particularly for people who've faced some of the challenges that they've had to."
Mindfulness is already on the curriculum in Wales and it's hoped that todays debate will set the wheels in motion for a roll out across England.
Charlotte continued: "The more that we give young people the tools to be able to understand and deal with their mental health, the less likely we are to store up problems in the future. We know that the more investment you put in to young people, it pays dividends later down the line. After a really successful roll out in Warrington off the back of Ether's Peace in Mind campaigning, I'm hoping that it will be something that all of the country will be able to benefit from as a beautiful legacy for Brianna.
"We want to put the focus back where it belongs; onto Brianna. Onto her sassiness, her sense of humour, her empathy, her kindness, her ability to listen and to take the values and attributes that she had and nuture and sustain a really positive and beautiful legacy befitting of her."
The peace in Mind campaign was launched in autumn 2023 and has so far raised more than £50,000 which will be used to fund training and support for teachers through the Mindfulness in Schools Project. The charity was set up in 2009 and advocates for the use of mindfulness to help young people manage their thoughts, feelings and impulses.
Speaking to the Warrington Guardian, Esther 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.”
Meanwhile a vigil will be held in memory of Brianna on Sunday 11th February to mark the one year anniversary of her death. People are being asked to gather at The Old Fish Market, Golden Square Shopping Centre in Warrington at 3pm.