Don’t be a couch potato – there’s so much on that you should never be at a loss for something to do locally. Take the bus, use your bike or just walk. Everything is so close.

Brentford FC – Your local football club

The Bees play at Griffin Park, Braemar Road, Brentford in the Football League. They are a friendly community club that offers excellent value for money, with cheap children’s tickets and exciting football. The club also has a stellar Football in the Community programme in partnership with Ealing and Hounslow Councils.

Brentford Football in the Community offers:
* Free tickets for community groups at League matches, with free face painting and other children’s activities * After-school clubs, birthday parties * Chairobics * Women’s & girls’ football * Saturday Club (all abilities, various ages, bring your own kit) * One 2 One Ability Counts coaching for people with disabilities. For further details, click on website link or call 0844 247 1889.

Watermans Art Centre  – 020 8232 1019. 40 High Street  Brentford, TW8 0DS

The Watermans is Brentford’s arts centre and has a theatre, cinema and exhibition space to rival those of any city venue.  What’s more, its bar and restaurant offer one of the area’s best river views.

Osterley House & Park  – 020 8232 5050. Jersey Road, Isleworth TW7 4RB
A Tudor mansion turned into a neoclassical palace for the banker Robert Child, Osterley House was recently renovated by the V&A Museum. A huge 258-acre park and many events throughout the year make it worth a visit.

Hanwell Flight & Brunel’s Three Bridges  – Windmill Lane, Hanwell.
This flight of six locks raises the Grand Union Canal out of the Thames Valley more than 16 metres. Nearby, the great engineer Isambard Kingdom Brunel accomplished a remarkable feat of engineering in 1859: a railway line crossed over by the Grand Union Canal, topped by the Windmill Road bridge.

Brentford Walks  – 020 8560 3718
Hounslow Heritage guides you through historic Brentford every Sunday from June to October. Meet at Goddards Corner on the High Street.

Kew Bridge Steam Museum  – 020 8568 4757. Green Dragon Lane  Brentford, Middlesex TW8 0EN (near Kew Bridge).

Housed in a Victorian waterworks (with its landmark tower), the museum has the oldest working beam engine. Steam days at weekends and Bank Holidays.

Musical Museum  – 020 8560 8108
Regular demonstrations bring to life this fascinating collection of instruments, including a full-size Wurlitzer theatre organ. Regular Saturday concerts throughout the summer.

Boston Manor House & Park   – 0845 456 2800
With an original Jacobean manor house as its centrepiece, the park has much to offer: bowling greens and tennis courts, a cricket pitch and a lake with ducks and squirrels eager to be fed.

Gunnersbury House Museum & Park  – 020 8992 1612
Once the ‘country’ home of the Rothschilds, the famous banking family, it is now a museum holding local artefacts. It is a ‘must see’ for finding out more about local history. It boasts a large open park.

Syon House & Park  – 020 8560 0882. Syon House, Syon Park, Brentford TW8 8JF

The London residence of the Duke of Northumberland, this stately home has many attractions, including a large garden centre.

BRAG TIP: Staying in? Turn the heating down by a degree to save money and energy. Fit aluminium foil behind radiators to reflect heat back into the room.