The Underdog?
Thistle Robotics’ journey started 3 years ago, when they first competed in the VEX Robotics competition.
They were the first people from their high school to participate in the competition, and had their work cut out to raise enough money to take part.
The VEX robot kit isn’t cheap, and the nature of the competition means that the more kit you can afford to buy, the better the robot you can build.
Thistle Robotics were up against some of the top fee-paying schools in the UK, with far greater experience and resources. As one of the few state schools competing, it isn’t surprising they felt like the underdog.
In VEX 2025, Thistle Robotics’ build was limited by the kit they could afford to buy. Their robot was clearly smaller, with less powerful motors than most of the machines they were up against.
The team was also hampered by Council bureaucracy which led to huge delays in receiving the robot parts they’d ordered, leaving time short to build their final design.
Despite this, in 2025 Thistle Robotics beat the competition to qualify for the UK Finals, where they won the Judges Award for Excellence under difficult circumstances. A real testament to the innovation and talent of this team of hard-working teenagers.
The team was determined that their success in VEX 2026 would not be limited by lack of equipment, and quickly set about fundraising to buy more robot parts for the next year’s competition.
At last, with a level playing field, VEX Robotics stormed to success in April 2026, winning the prestigious THINK Award for outstanding coding and securing their spot at the VEX Robotics World Championship in Missouri.
Will they be able to take up this amazing, hard-won opportunity? The race is on to raise the £14,000 they need to take them to the World Finals.