About The Katie Trust
Independent. Compassionate. Determined.
The Katie Trust is an independent charity founded by retired Detective Sergeant James Brannigan in memory of Katie Simpson — a young woman whose death raised serious questions that deserved serious answers.
Our Mission
When Questions Remain, Families Deserve to Be Heard
Katie Simpson died in circumstances that should have prompted a thorough, specialist investigation. The questions her family were left with — and the gaps in the response they received — are not unique. Families across the country face the same experience.
The Katie Trust exists to change that. We support bereaved families with unanswered questions, commission independent investigative reviews, deliver professional learning and advocate for the systemic improvements that will protect future families.
Katie's Story
The Story Behind The Trust
Katie Simpson was a young woman who loved horses and the equestrian world. Her death left her family with questions that deserved thorough, specialist answers — and a system that struggled to provide them.
James Brannigan, a retired Detective Sergeant, used his professional expertise to pursue those questions on behalf of the family. What he found — and what he could not find — shaped everything that followed.
The Katie Trust was founded so that other families would not face the same silence. So that questions would be asked. So that learning would follow.
Our Founder
James Brannigan
Founder & Trustee — Retired Detective Sergeant
James Brannigan served as a Detective Sergeant with the Police Service of Northern Ireland. During his career he developed specialist expertise in major crime investigation, family liaison and the kind of complex, sensitive cases that demand both professional rigour and human compassion.
After Katie's death, James used that expertise to ask the questions that needed to be asked — and to build an organisation that would ensure other families could do the same. The Katie Trust is the result of that determination.
Our Story
Why The Katie Trust Exists
Hear directly from James about Katie, the journey that followed, and the determination to turn what happened into lasting change for other families.
What We Do
How We Help Families
Independent Investigative Reviews
We commission expert independent reviews of police investigations, carried out by retired detectives, FLOs and POLSA officers matched to the specific needs of each case.
Family Support
We provide practical support, information and signposting to specialist services — helping families navigate complex legal, investigative and bereavement processes.
Professional Learning
We bring together family voice, lived experience, investigative learning and professional practice to help improve how concerns are recognised, understood and acted on.
Advocacy & Policy
Where shortcomings are identified, we advocate for cases to be elevated and revisited by the appropriate authorities — giving families a voice within a system that can feel closed to them.
Closing the Gap
We work to bridge the gap between policy and practice — ensuring that professionals in equestrian, rural and community settings have the awareness and tools to respond when a family needs them most.
What We Do
How We Help Families
Independent Investigative Reviews
We commission expert independent reviews of police investigations, carried out by retired detectives, FLOs and POLSA officers matched to the specific needs of each case.
Family Support
We provide practical support, information and signposting to specialist services — helping families navigate complex legal, investigative and bereavement processes.
Professional Learning
We bring together family voice, lived experience, investigative learning and professional practice to help improve how concerns are recognised, understood and acted on.
Our professional learning is designed for people working across policing, safeguarding, social care, healthcare, legal services, education and other frontline services.
We use real experiences and case learning to explore the moments where professional understanding can make a difference — recognising patterns, asking better questions, preserving important information, understanding coercive control and ensuring families are heard.
Our aim is practical: better recognition, better responses and better outcomes for families.
Advocacy & Policy
Where shortcomings are identified, we advocate for cases to be elevated and revisited by the appropriate authorities — giving families a voice within a system that can feel closed to them.
Closing the Gap
We work to bridge the gap between policy and practice — ensuring that professionals in equestrian, rural and community settings have the awareness and tools to respond when a family needs them most.
Our Partnership
Working with The Bridle Path Initiative
The Katie Trust works in close partnership with The Bridle Path Initiative CIC, a specialist organisation focused on domestic abuse and sexual violence within rural, farming and equestrian communities.
Danielle Charters-Christie's story sits at the foundation of The Bridle Path Initiative's work. Her story has helped shape its understanding of the gaps that can leave abuse hidden, warning signs missed and families searching for answers.
Together, The Katie Trust and The Bridle Path Initiative created Justice Beyond the Gate — a joint campaign carried in the names of Katie Simpson and Danielle Charters-Christie.
Their stories are different, but together they show why patterns must be recognised, questions must be asked, families must be heard and learning must lead to change.
In Katie's name. In Danielle's name. Together, we take the reins of change.
Get in Touch
If you have questions about the Trust, want to support our work, or need help for your family — we would love to hear from you. Families do not need to donate to make an enquiry.