THE Mayor of London has stepped in with a £20,000 lifeline to help revive a “tired” row of shops in Mill Hill.

Six shops in Salcombe Gardens, Mill Hill East, are the focus of a regeneration campaign by the Mill Hill Neighbourhood forum chosen by Sadiq Khan for his Crowdfunding Programme.

Started in March, the scheme supports London community projects looking for donations and support on the crowdfunding website Spacehive.

The Salcombe Gardens appeal hopes to raise around £65,000 to provide new shop fronts, rejuvenate the pavement and replace broken bollards with seating and trees on the site, which sits across from the Mill Hill East Church.

Members of the forum believe that Salcombe Gardens, which they say has “possibly the best fish and chip shop in North West London”, has fallen out of step with the continued development of the surrounding residential area.

They want to regenerate the row in time for the development of a new residential care home for the elderly to the right of the street.

Richard Logue, chair of Mill Hill Residents Association, said: “The Mayor’s donation is a massive step towards our goal. We hope this project can help turn Salcombe Gardens into a deserving gateway to the 500 homes within half a mile of it.

“Anyone can donate, it only has to be a couple of pounds, just to show the council that there is support for this and people want to see it improved. We hope it gets their attention.”

If successful, the forum believes the project will encourage people living nearby to walk or cycle to the shops, rather than driving further afield to buy everyday items.

The forum hopes the Mayor’s donation will put pressure on Barnet Council and Barnet Homes to add to the budget and help get plans off the ground.

The project’s crowdfunding page is still open on Spacehive. You can donate here: http://www.spacehive.com/uplift-salcombe-gardens-shops#/idea