Help get Thistle Robotics to the VEX World Championships!
At The National Robotarium, inspiring the next generation of robotics talent is at the heart of what we do. That’s why we’re proud to support Thistle Robotics as they attempt to raise money to travel to the VEX Robotics 2026 World Championship in St. Louis, Missouri in April.
Their story: Thistle Robotics, made-up of S5 and S6 students from James Gillespie’s High School in Edinburgh, have spent the past seven months designing, building, and programming a competition robot. Sacrificing their own time, after school and at weekends, their hard work led to them winning the regionals held at the followed by the ‘Think Award’ for programming and software design at the UK National Finals.
“Their place at the competition is lost if they cannot raise the funds necessary. This is their opportunity to showcase what is possible here in Scotland and we don’t want funding to be the reason Scotland doesn’t make it to the world stage.”
- Blair Wilson, Schools and Engagement Lead
As the only Scottish state high school to qualify for the World Finals, the world’s largest – with over 20,000 teams from 50+ countries – they are seeking support to help with fees, transport and travel to the US.
Blair Wilson, Schools and Engagement Lead, has supported the team throughout their robotics journey, providing access to kits and expertise to allow them to hone their skills.
He said: “James Gillespie’s are the only Scottish government funded high school to make it to this year’s VEX Robotics World Championship. Winning one of the few judged awards and proving their programming skills were the best in the UK at their age level.
“Making it to the UK finals was a huge achievement already, and this is the 2nd consecutive year the team have done that. But they still need your help. Getting eight students and their robot from Edinburgh to St. Louis costs around £20,000, and while they’ve already raised over £5k, there’s still a long way to go before April. Their place at the competition is lost if they cannot raise the funds necessary.
“For several of these students, this is their final year of school. This is their opportunity to showcase what is possible here in Scotland and we don’t want funding to be the reason Scotland doesn’t make it to the world stage.”
If you’d like to help them achieve their dreams, you can donate to their GoFundMe page at: https://www.gofundme.com/f/send-thistle-robotics-to-the-vex-robotics-world-championship or scan the QR code below.
