Around 200 people live in the town, whose population peaked at around 1,000 in 1950. Just 23 of these are in the right age range for the local school.

According to Swedish newspaper Dagens Nyheter (DN), local municipal rules state that if the school’s student numbers drop below 25, it risks closure, with students instead moving to the next-closest school 40 kilometres away in Arvidsjaur. The high school already closed in 2009 due to dwindling numbers – there were just 18 students in 2007.

Local project group Glommersbygdens Framtid (“The future of Glommersbygden” – Glommersbygden is the area around the town) aren’t giving up, and are determined to tempt more families to the town. 

They’re offering 10,000 kronor in cash (around 875 euros or 965 US dollars) to the first five families who move to the area.

The only catch? Their children need to be of primary school age (6-15 years old), and must attend the local Parkskolan for at least one academic year.

Alexandra Lindbäck, a member of the project group, told DN about how much the school has meant to her and her children.

Lindbäck’s two older children have special educational needs, and she believes the school in Glommersträsk has been vital for their education.

“That’s why it’s so emotional that its closure has come up for discussion,” she told DN. “The kids feel really safe with the teachers who have really got to know them on a deeper level.”

Her youngest son would go from being able to walk home from the local school in Glommersträsk to having to commute to Arvidsjaur.

“He can go home after school, wind down and then start on his homework,” she told DN. “If he ends up going to school in Arvidsjaur, he’d have long days with a lot of travel.”

The town is around an hour’s drive or an hour and a half bus ride away from growing tech hub Skellefteå and half an hour from Arvidsjaur, while Luleå is just over two hours’ drive away. All three of those towns also have small airports.

Glommersbygdens Framtid describes the town as “a safe space where your children can grow up in a nice community”, describing the deal as “the chance of a lifetime”.

They also promise to help families find housing, as well as putting together a list of available jobs in the local area – which is good news for any non-EU citizens looking to move to the village, as they’ll need to qualify for a Swedish residence permit first.

“There are only a few homes listed at estate agents, but we know there are a number of homes for sale which aren’t on the open market which have exclusive offers just for families with children,” their website states.

According to Jessica Vallsten, another member of the Glommersbygdens Framtid group, one family has already signed up.

“We have one family who have taken up our offer,” she told DN. “Another has just moved here and is going to sign their kids up for the school. We’re crossing our fingers that there will be more.”

READ ALSO: Swedish land for 1 krona per square metre for sale – on one condition