The mother of Brianna Ghey has launched a fundraiser in memory of her late daughter, with the goal of helping teachers support children’s mental health and well-being.

On February 11 this year, trans teen Brianna Ghey was found dead in Warrington, England, with her body discovered with multiple stab wounds. Her death deeply shocked the LGBTQ+ community in the UK and abroad, with vigils in her memory held in several cities, including Ireland.

Since then, two local teenagers have been charged with her murder. While a motive hasn’t been established yet, police are investigating “all lines of inquiry”, including the possibility that the murder was a hate crime. A trial is set to take place on November 27.

On September 7, Brianna Ghey’s mother joined forces with the Warrington Guardian to launch a fundraiser titled “Brianna Ghey: Peace in Mind” in support of the Mindfulness in Schools Project. The initial goal of the fund will be to allow school staff in Warrington to undergo training to support children with their well-being and mental health struggles. Following this first phase, the long-term goal of the campaign would be to roll the initiative out on a national scale.

Commenting on the fundraiser, Brianna Ghey’s mother, Esther, said: “The traumatic impact that this had on my family was so enormous, that I decided to help make a difference to our society to reduce the risk of this happening again to another young person.”

“The crime that was inflicted on Brianna is not a one off. Senseless acts of violence are happening far too often,” she added. “I believe, to prevent this from reoccurring we need to weave empathy, compassion, and resilience throughout our society.”

Speaking to PinkNews, she explained the reason behind the launch of the fundraiser, sharing how, after her daughter’s death, she received many messages from trans people talking about their mental health struggles and social isolation. “The LGBTQIA+ community are at higher risk of mental health issues. And it looks like this is due to things such as stigma and discrimination,” she said.

Discussing the goal of her campaign, she said: “I think that is hitting it from both angles, making people more empathetic, understanding and resilient and also giving people coping strategies so that if they do have mental health issues, or encounter issues in society, they have better ways of coping with it.”

Despite only having launched last week, the fundraiser in honour of Brianna Ghey has already gained traction. Tom Bedworth, Community Reporter at the Warrington Guardian, commented on the initiative, saying: “The whole town came together following Brianna’s death, and we hope everyone will get behind our campaign, too. If we can make a difference to just one child, then we will have been successful.”

If you wish to donate to this campaign, you can do so at this GoFundMe page.