'It feels wrong Brianna isn't here to celebrate'

The mother of murdered teenager Brianna Ghey has spoken of her heartbreak on what would have been her daughter's 18th birthday.

Brianna Ghey never got to reach the milestone after she was stabbed to death in a park in Culcheth, Warrington, in February 2023.

The 16-year-old would have turned 18 on 7 November.

Esther Ghey said marking the day felt "so wrong" without Brianna.

Brianna, who was transgender, would have been counting down the days until her 18th birthday, Ms Ghey said.

"She loved her birthday, she'd be counting down to her birthday for months in advance."

Ms Ghey said her daughter was hoping for a surprise for her 18th and "really wanted a pink car".

She said: "She would quite often sit next to me on the couch, flicking through Autotrader, showing me what pink car that she'd like to try.

"I'm not sure how comfortable I would have been with Brianna on the road but she would have really looked forward to it.

"It just felt so wrong she wasn't there to to celebrate her birthday with us."

The family spent Brianna's birthday together, reflecting upon the good memories.

"It really helps to remember Brianna for who she was, the quirkiness and how funny she was, and that's what we did," Ms Ghey added.

She said as Brianna was a "home bird", she would have probably spent the big day at home with the family in Warrington.

"She would have had a pink cake, maybe some pink sparkling wine...and be in pink, fluffy pyjamas as well."

Pink was Brianna's favourite colour and schools and businesses across Warrington and the North West recently took part in a Wear Pink for Peace fundraiser in Brianna's memory, and to raise money for Peace & Mind UK.

The non-profit company, set up by Esther Ghey, provides mental health support through mindfulness, and is campaigning to roll out mindfulness in schools.

It has already seen more than 100 teachers in Warrington train or begin their mindfulness training, which is almost every school in Warrington, Ms Ghey said.

"We're hoping to use Warrington as a beacon town to show the rest of the country how we can actually do this," she said.

Brianna has been described as "the life and soul of the party" but was a "complex person" due to her mental health struggles.

The teenager had anxiety and an eating disorder and Ms Ghey said this was exacerbated by what she was accessing online.

It is hoped that through mindfulness in schools, young people can have a greater understanding of how to look after themselves during difficult moments, Ms Ghey said.

Ms Ghey, who has also been campaigning to make the online world safer for young people, said Peace & Mind UK is Brianna's legacy.

She said: "There's so many other people that have helped but really the person that is the catalyst to all of this is Brianna.

"Brianna should be and would be proud of herself."

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