Mindfulness helped us...classmates of Brianna need it too
THE mother of murdered Brianna Ghey is helping classmates deal with the trauma of her death by organising mindfulness lessons at their school.
Esther Ghey, 37, has called for the sessions for all schoolchildren, explaining how it helped her and Brianna’s elder sister Alisha through the “worst days of their lives”.
Now students at Birchwood Community High School are being taught mindfulness techniques to help calm racing thoughts.
Esther said: “What happened to Brianna will have caused some trauma for the students, and the teachers as well. I think bringing mindfulness in will benefit the children massively.”
Brianna, who was transgender, was murdered by Scarlett Jenkinson and Eddie Ratcliffe at a park in Warrington, Cheshire, in February 2023. Both have been jailed for life.
Esther is raising money to bring mindfulness to schools across the UK in Brianna’s memory through Peace in Mind, which has already reached over £85,000 to cover the cost of training teachers. She said: “It’s most important to get it into primary schools as children are so much more susceptible at that age.
Stress
“But in high schools too teenagers will pick up things that will help them in later life. If we can make things better – and not only for young people, for their families as well – then for me that’s Brianna living on. It means her death wasn’t for nothing.”
Students are being taught to recognise tension in their bodies and focus on breathing to help stay calm. Year 7 pupil Charlie Bowerman took part in the lessons and said: “I find it helpful. I do have a bit of stress quite often – say if something stressful is happening in a lesson or there’s a big crowd around you, you can learn to take a few deep breaths.”
Classmate Skylar Cross said the mindfulness techniques were helping with insomnia, while others added that they made it easier to discuss mental health with their friends.
Brianna’s headteacher Emma Mills has been working with Esther on the campaign and brought additional sessions into the school with funding from the One Community Trust.
She said: “There’s been a spike in mental health concerns across young people. The things we used to do in schools perhaps need to change because society has changed, times have changed, life experiences have changed.”