We're building mutual respect, nationwide

Together, we want to create a society that is built on mutual respect. We were founded on a social purpose, and our commitment to supporting our members and the society we live in hasn’t changed.

Mutual Respect is a core value for us, and we care deeply about respecting the needs of our 15 million members and our colleagues. In a Nationwide survey we found that a shocking 71% of the UK agreed that levels of respect in society have declined in the last few years.

Online and face-to-face hate crimes are on the rise and we’re not immune to it. How we treat each other, the way we speak to each other and how we act towards one another is now more important than ever. Which is why we’re partnering with other organisations in an aim to build a more respectful society, nationwide.

The Diana Award is a charity legacy to Diana, Princess of Wales’ belief that young people have the power to change the world and their Anti-Bullying Ambassadors programme gives young people, staff and parents across the UK the skills, knowledge and confidence to tackle online and offline bullying in their schools and communities.

Anti-Bullying Ambassadors are school-children themselves, trained by specialists working at The Diana Award to develop a range of preventative measures to keep their peers safe, promoting mutual respect and celebrating difference, they make it their mission to tackle bullying and support their peers.

Our three-year partnership will result in an extra 10,000 Anti-Bullying Ambassadors being trained in over 660 primary schools up and down the UK.

On 28 September 2020, we held the ‘The Big Anti-Bullying Assembly’. It was a celebrity-packed virtual event, that was beamed into primary school classrooms and homes across the UK, bringing together nearly two million children and empowering them to tackle bullying.

For more information and to get involved visit the Anti-Bullying Ambassador Programme website (opens in a new window).

To find out more about our partnership with The Diana Award and how we are working together to build mutual respect and end bullying in schools visit the Diana Award website (opens in a new window).

We’ve partnered with The Football Association to support their Respect campaign – a grassroots football initiative which looks to encourage mutual respect on and off the pitch.

The FA’s Respect campaign aims to advise parents and coaches on their roles in creating a fun, safe and inclusive environment for everyone. Respect codes of conduct are in place to ensure that everyone involved within an FA Charter Standard club or league is playing their part to give the players a positive experience. We’ve pledged to make one million parents and coaches aware of this campaign and the need for mutual respect.

To help tackle the issue of abuse in society, 80% of people believe those in the public eye are responsible for setting a good example, in terms of being more respectful. Almost two-thirds (63%) of people believe footballers should set an example by showing respect. That’s why we sent England goalkeeper Jordan Pickford and Three Lions legend John Barnes to surprise a grassroots club who thought they were there for an FA Respect training session.

To find out more about this partnership and to get involved please visit the Football Association website (opens in a new window).

The Scottish FA Positive Play campaign promotes a positive learning environment and rewards clubs who focus on effort and respect for players, coaches and parents (spectators) alike.

The programme will focus on our youth players involved in the 11-a-side game and will promote fair play and reward the clubs and schools who create a positive playing ethos and help support the players to simply ‘let them play’.

“This exciting partnership with Nationwide will allow us to support teams and clubs at grassroots level. Nationwide’s ambition of improving communities across the UK is in line with the Scottish FA’s goals at the heart of the ‘Positive Play’ campaign”. Andy Gould (Head of Football Development, SFA)

Photo: (L-R) Garry Samson (Regional Director, BN North Nationwide)
Andy Gould (Head of Football Development, SFA)
David Dale (Chair, Dunblane Soccer Club)

The Football Association of Wales (FAW) Fair Play initiative rewards players and clubs who demonstrate mutual respect and fair play in the National Leagues. The good name of football has survived because the vast majority of people who love the game are honest and fair. As a result, the FAW honour and publicise these examples through their Fair Play Award, rewarding clubs who are making a significant contribution to improving the behavioural standards in football.

"The aim of the FAW Fair Play Initiative is to encourage a reduction in on-field misconduct. It is a great way to reward the clubs in the National Leagues (Wales) who have the best disciplinary record for on-field offences in their division. Football has the power to transform communities and we are excited about our new partnership with Nationwide Building Society". Jonathan Ford, (CEO FA of Wales)

Photo: JD Cymru Premier match between Aberystwyth Town and Flint Town United at Park Avenue, Aberystwyth. The match took place on 18 September 2020 and Aberystwyth won the game 3-1.

The Irish Football Association (IFA) Back in the Game campaign aims for players to gain not only health benefits from football but also improve their life skills. Post-match meetings provide opportunities to learn about coaching, social media, volunteering and mental health awareness with the aim of creating a more mutually respectful society.

And the campaign also helps to provide social opportunities for those who may feel vulnerable, isolated or are suffering with poor mental health while supporting the long-term unemployed, encouraging good relations and mutual respect within diverse communities in Northern Ireland.

"It is fantastic to receive this support from Nationwide. The push to create a more mutually respectful society chimes with the Irish FA’s overarching aim of promoting, fostering and developing football for all.” Stephen Bogle (Head of Sales and Marketing, IFA)

Together, we want to build a society based on mutual respect. Unfortunately, every day, customer-facing staff working across the UK in a variety of industries will experience more than 400 incidents of abuse*. While this is perpetrated by a small minority, facing violence, racism and threats from customers shouldn’t be part of the job. So we’ve joined with Channel 4, Global Radio, The Co-op and Network Rail to create a campaign to raise this issue because we believe that threatening and abusive behaviour is never ok.

If you'd like to watch our ad break again, you'll be able to view it here (opens in a new window) after it's been aired on 16th October.

Customer-facing staff up and down the country are vital in helping all of us, day-in, day-out – especially in these unprecedented times and abuse of any kind should never be tolerated. We’ve been working with MPs to speak up about this issue and support the Assaults on Retail Workers (Offences) Bill, to offer greater protection for those in customer-facing roles. We’re continuing to support MPs, policy-makers and local Business Improvement Districts to stand together and build a more tolerant and mutually respectful society.
#TogetherAgainstHate

*Source: British Retail Consortium, 2020