A LEGACY project in memory of Brianna Ghey to help schoolchildren with their mental health has smashed its £50,000 fundraising target.
The Peace in Mind campaign was established by the Warrington Guardian, working alongside Brianna's mum, Esther Ghey, to create a legacy for her daughter.
Two teenagers were found guilty of Brianna's murder in December, with the Birchwood schoolgirl having been fatally stabbed in Culcheth Linear Park last February.
The killers, who currently cannot be named for legal reasons, are due to be sentenced at Manchester Crown Court tomorrow, Friday.
Raising money for the Mindfulness in Schools Project (MiSP), the Peace in Mind campaign aims to improve mental health and wellbeing support for schoolchildren across the country, beginning in Warrington.
Esther completed the Great North Swim last summer, raising more than £20,000 for MiSP.
The Peace in Mind campaign aimed to raise £50,000, which would bring the total raised for the charity in memory of Brianna to £70,000.
This £70,000 would pay for almost 100 members of school staff in Warrington to be trained by MiSP in mindfulness practices, and it is hoped this would have a knock-on effect of improving the support for children in schools.
Now, this £50,000 target has been reached, much to the delight of Esther, who spoke of her delight on the official Peace and Mind UK Facebook page.
She said: “I am so happy that we have reached the target.
“Mindfulness teacher training is already underway, and we can now get a mindfulness teacher in every school in Brianna's hometown of Warrington.
“The amount of support that myself and the Warrington Guardian have received in running the Peace in Mind campaign has been outstanding. Thank you to all of you – you are all amazing.
“The next stage of our campaign starts next Wednesday, when Charlotte Nichols MP will be discussing mindfulness in schools in Parliament. We will get mindfulness into every school in England.
“Warrington is set to be our beacon town, an example of how to implement a mindfulness practice in the best way, in order to help build mental resilience, empathy and self-compassion in our young people.
“I have so much more to tell you of the exciting and positive things to come, which will improve the lives of young people and their families. Coming soon.”
The Peace in Mind campaign has had the support of Warrington Borough Council, as well as both of the town's MPs, and Warrington Wolves.
Businesses have also backed the campaign, with a number of fundraisers being held in the months since the campaign kicked off.
For more information about the Peace in Mind campaign, or to donate, visit gofundme.com/f/briannagheymemorial
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