Thistle Robotics are the only team from a Scottish state-funded high school that made it through to the World Championship.

This is their World Cup moment! Let’s get them to Missouri to represent Scotland to the World.

Thistle Robotics was the first team from James Gillespie’s High School to compete in the VEX Robotics competition.

Now, they bring their learning and experience to support and inspire other young coders and engineers within their own high school and beyond.

This year, the team helped host a VEX qualifying round in their own school, enabling more local young people to participate in the competition without traveling huge distances to England to qualify.

Younger students from their school now build robots using kit bought by Thistle Robotics, and benefit from the team’s advice and experience.

Members of the team run a free Maths club within the school for S1 and S2s, sharing their enthusiasm for the subject with younger members of the school community.

Through competing in the World Championships the team will bring back a new level of experience, skills and enthusiasm in coding and engineering to share with other young people at Scottish state schools.

It will be impossible for Thistle Robotics to compete in this competition without help from the wider community.

Support an incredibly talented group of local high school students represent the UK at this international event.

The team have worked so hard to qualify. They don’t want the journey to end here. They’re keen to continue the development of their award winning robot.

The team need funds to buy:

• Return plane tickets from Edinburgh - St Louis.

• 6 nights accommodation in St Louis.

• Visas for the team

The team also want to improve their robot, and plan to buy:

• a new robot brain

• a new controller

• some more rotation sensors to improve the consistency of their autonomous code

In total these expenses add up to £14,000  

Thistle Robotics have been endorsed by the National Robotarium.

For more information about this endorsement, email Blair Wilson, Industry & Schools Engagement Lead, National Robotarium, Heriot Watt University: Blair.Wilson@hw.ac.uk