NATIONWIDE LIFE TO DONATE £1 TO MACMILLAN CANCER SUPPORT FOR THE SALE OF EACH PROTECTION POLICY*

2 May 2006

Nationwide Life has today announced that it will be making a donation to the charity Macmillan Cancer Support of £1 for every life assurance, critical illness and income protection policy that it sells between 2 May and 31 July 2006.

Nationwide has had a strong association with Macmillan Cancer Support for the last 12 years and during this time has been able to support the leading cancer care charity by raising more than £4m.

Robin Bailey, Nationwide divisional director, said: “At the end of February, Nationwide Life made a series of improvements to its protection policies providing members with even greater peace of mind at very competitive prices. No one likes to think about the possibility of falling ill but the reality is that 1 in 3 people are diagnosed with cancer at some point in their lives and we have a duty of care to our members to help them consider how they would cope if it happened to them.

“Nationwide has had a strong association with Macmillan Cancer Support for many years and we wanted to make our members even more aware of the services this charity offers to those affected by cancer. Macmillan offers practical, medical, financial and emotional support to over one million people each year. We wanted to recognise the invaluable service they provide by doing even more to help and I’m delighted to announce that we will donate £1 for the sale of every protection* policy sold over the next three months.”

Rachel Gascoigne, corporate partnerships, Macmillan Cancer Support said: “Nationwide has been a fantastic supporter of ours and we are really pleased to have such an established relationship with them. Initiatives such as this are great way to not only raise vital funds but to also make more people aware of what we do and how Macmillan is a source of support for people affected by cancer.”

Notes to editors:

1.* Protection policies where a donation of £1 will be made include Life Assurance, Critical Illness and Income Protection. Mortgage Payment Protection is not covered.