This is the last issue of Norrland Living. As I write this, it’s 3AM on a Saturday morning, and we’ve just finished working on the cover of this final Winter issue. The kids have been sick most of the week, we’re dog-tired, and we’ve done our calculations and realised that we simply can’t afford to keep the magazine going. Honestly, it’s a bit of a sickener. We started off as an advertising-financed magazine, but we also tried to find sponsors. Although people seemed to love what we do, not enough of them wanted to pay for it. We’ve lost count of the number of times organizations have responded to our emails and phone calls with, ”We love what you’re doing: it’s very important work. But we won’t advertise with you or sponsor you.”
Sadly, nice words don’t keep small, socially-conscious startups alive. But they got one thing right. Our work is important.
Helping English-speaking newcomers settle and integrate into Skellefteå society is critical work. If we fail to make people welcome, they will not stay here to work on the green transition. We’ll lose them and all their future generations. I’m sure you’re all sick of reading these words, but repetition doesn’t make them any less true.
Anyway, it’s been fun. We’ve met some great people and done some good work (if we say so ourselves). We’re proud of our contribution to what’s happening up here and we intend to keep this last issue and previous issues alive on norrlandliving.com. Have a great festive season, and maybe we’ll see you around town sometime.
Paul and Donna
