Primary pupils 'excited' to take their robot to world championships

Children from a primary school in Aberdeenshire are preparing to take their robot design to compete in the world championships in the US.

The five pupils aged 10 and 11 from Strichen Primary were crowned UK champions in February - earning them a spot at the international finals in Missouri next month.

And within days of their win, their local community had rallied to raise the money required to get Emma, Orla, Maeve, Lenny and Brodie to the prestigious contest.

One villager was so impressed, she contacted the BBC through Your Voice to highlight their achievement.

The children are part of the afterschool robotics club which has been running for three years, and they have worked together to design, build, code and operate their robot.

They will now compete in the VEX Robotics World Championships in St Louis.

Each pupil has a different role to play on the team.

Lenny said: "I'm the driver that drives the robot so we can get as much points as we can."

Maeve is the manager, and explained: "The manager makes sure everyone has a job and everyone feels included."

Builder and driver Brodie said: "We've adapted and changed our robot to make it work for us.''

Emma told BBC Scotland News: "I'm the designer. I do the booklet and ask everybody what they've done."

Orla, the coder, added: "The coder codes the robot so that it moves itself in the autonomous coding round."

When the team won top spot at the UK round, the race was on to raise the funds to be able to travel to St Louis.

They had a target of £17,500 to cover flights, accommodation and expenses for the three-day competition.

Leah Gibb, the head teacher at Strichen School, said: "It was a concern, how are we going to do this? Could we make it happen for the pupils?

"But thanks to the school community, the local community, and wider community, we were overwhelmed by the support.

"Within 48 hours they had topped their funding."

Their team name, The Percy Pigs, was Orla's idea.

"My auntie's pig died in the month of thinking of the name," she said.

"So all I could think about was pigs so the first thing that came to my mind was Percy Pigs."

They are now raring to go.

Maeve said: "'I'm really excited. I've never been on a plane and I've also never been to America."

Emma explained: "I'm just looking forward to meeting all the teams and being there because it will be a great experience."

And Brodie added: "I'm excited about communicating and playing with other teams, and trying to set a new record for our points."

The afterschool club is led by teacher Lorraine Rennie, PSA Jack Donaldson, and parent helper Dave Gilmore.

Lorraine described the current mood as "really excited" and said they were all delighted.

Jack said: "We're just incredibly proud of them. They've worked so hard all year. For the team to get to the worlds in America is just beyond our wildest dreams."

The VEX Robotics World Championships is at the end of April.

Until then, the team will be perfecting their robot in the hope of bringing even more silverwear back to Strichen.