In 1992 many people in Slough found themselves unemployed. At the invitation of the then Industrial Chaplain, Bob Nind, a group of unemployed people formed themselves into S.TE.A.M. (Slough Town Employment Action Movement). They met weekly for lunch – and their successors still meet regularly at St Andrew's – to gather and share information on jobs, courses and benefits and plan projects.

STEAM's first contribution to the local community was to organise the first One World Festival in Slough. They then published several booklets on the experiences of unemployed people in Boom Town Slough and a video called STEAM at Work.

In May 2003, STEAM staged a successful exhibition at the Slough Museum entitled The Factories That Changed Slough, about the rapid growth of Slough Trading Estate and employment during the inter-war years. This was followed in 2004 by a second exhibition Another 22 Organisations that Changed Slough and District. Both exhibitions featured photographs of people at work and the products they made and were accompanied by exhibition booklets. For the second exhibition STEAM was presented with the Mayor's Award for "Arts Project of the Year".

© STEAM 2005