CALL at Subway in Hounds Gate for a chicken salad roll and you'll see on the front windows a yellow and green circular symbol – with the word Halal in Arabic and English.

No confusion there, either for Muslims who adhere to Islamic dietary laws or for other customers who happen to believe that the dhabihah tradition of ritual animal slaughter is inhumane.

The Subway gesture is voluntary. The question now is whether food retailers and restaurateurs should be legally obliged to declare halal origins on packaging. The rumpus began last week when a national newspaper broke the news of the halal meat "secret" at Pizza Express, reporting that the chain had exclusively used halal chicken without mentioning it on menus.

Pizza Express responded by saying there was no "secret" – staff were free to share the fact with customers and the information was on its website.

At the heart of the issue are the rules relating to the slaughter of animals under the Islamic code.

Standard practice in mainstream British abattoirs is for doomed livestock to be pre-stunned to reduce stress and pain.

However dhabihah demands that animals be healthy at the moment they are killed – so in a strictly orthodox licensed halal process, the animal would not be stunned before its throat is cut and the blood is drained from its body.

So what is the law on food labelling? How many non-Muslims are unwittingly consuming halal meat? And do they care?

As things stand, there is no legal requirement for halal meat to be labelled as such.

"It's an issue that has been around for a while but there is no such requirement under the Food Labelling Regulations 1996," said a spokesman for the trading standards department at Nottinghamshire County Council.

"We have got some new food legislation coming in but we are waiting for final guidance on it from the Food Standards Agency."

Speculation continues on the possible content of the next Food Information to Consumers Regulations – but if anyone is expecting an immediate governmental response to the headlines, Prime Minister David Cameron stated last week that labelling should be a matter not for legislation but for restaurateurs and retailers to resolve with their suppliers and customers.

It's not an issue at major Asian food retailers like Pak Foods, in Sneinton Dale, or the little halal butchers of NG7, where you get what it says on the sign over the door. The issue is at stores where you would not expect to find halal meat... but get it, all the same.

All the major supermarkets have conceded that they sell halal meat that is not labelled as such. New Zealand lamb figures heavily, although both Sainsbury's and Morrisons insist that all their lamb sourced from New Zealand has been pre-stunned.

That is the confusing factor in the debate: although orthodox halal methods concern animal welfare campaigners, many animals killed under the halal code are pre-stunned using electricity, in a way that some Muslims approve of.

Only a few days before the Pizza Express story broke, Subway announced halal-only meat menus at 185 butty bars in the UK and Ireland. They include outlets in Hounds Gate and Alfreton Road, Nottingham.

"All our suppliers comply with EU animal welfare legislation as a minimum and we require suppliers of halal products to adopt the stunning of animals prior to their slaughter," a Subway spokesman said.

"All halal meats are certified by the appropriate halal authorities. All halal Subway stores have numerous signs stating that they serve halal food.

"These are situated on the menu panels, nutritional information and in the front window of the store."

Selected KFC and Nando's branches also serve halal chicken. As with Subway, details are available on the firms' websites.

As for public institutions, a spokesman for Nottingham City Council said: "We supply about 20 schools with halal meat for specific, non-mainstream dishes, and they are labelled as such.

"However schools might serve, for example, a curry that is not necessarily halal, so people who do not want to eat halal meat can still enjoy the dish."

At Nottinghamshire County Council, serving an area with a much smaller Muslim population, the authority's catering suppliers – On a Roll, Maloneys, Brakes, Pasta King and UK Foodhall – do not supply halal food to schools.

Nor does the health service bulk-buy halal meat for the mainstream catering operation at Queen's Medical Centre and City Hospital.

"However we do keep stocks of halal meals for patients who ask for them," a spokesman said.

And who cares? One national newspaper poll had 73% of Britons believing restaurants should be made to say when menu items contain halal food.

The result was franked by a OnePoll survey concluding that 80 per cent of diners would prefer to know if they were eating halal meat... although, if they did know, 50 per cent of the interviewees said they would be prepared to eat it.

Should restaurants and shops be compelled to label halal meat? Share your views on nottinghampost.com

THE advantage of reinventing the National Water Sports Centre as a country park is that a much wider cross-section of people will use the 270-acre site.

Under Sport England, the centre at Holme Pierrepont was an important asset for Notts – delivering high-level competition on the 2,000m regatta lake and adjoining white-water course.

However, it attracted only a limited number of people within a collection of minority sports, and much of the surrounding land was under-utilised.

After a £6.7m revamp, the newly-named Holme Pierrepont Country Park offers something more.

It will still be a home for water sports enthusiasts, from beginners to the international elite. But now it will also welcome anyone and everyone who wants a great day out in the fresh air.

The new managing trust is offering adventure activities including a sky-walk, Segway hire and a laser-tagging experience. There will continue to be a welcome for joggers and cyclists who already exercise in the park.

And perhaps one day it will be possible to have a pedestrian and bike bridge over the Trent, linking this new leisure facility to Colwick Country Park.

It is a result for Notts as a whole and especially for the eastern fringes of Greater Nottingham. We hope the site gets the visitors it deserves.

FOR every Notts County fan, this season's Great Escape will be something to savour.

Now that the roller-coaster ride that was the 2013-14 season is over, artist Gabe Cuthbert has captured the emotion of the Magpies' successful battle to avoid relegation in a striking new image.

It features Notts boss Shaun Derry, captain Alan Sheehan and the rest of the squad celebrating their achievement.

It is the latest design by the Gamston 19-year-old and his football T-shirt business, www.art-of-football.co.uk.

"I've been keeping up with the various promotion and relegation battles, but Notts' was quite special. With about ten games to go they were dead and buried," he said.

"I was following the Oldham game online and through Twitter and started working on the Great Escape image the next day."

The Post previously featured Mr Cuthbert's work, which specialises in printing images of highs and lows from the beautiful game on to T-shirts.

He adds his own twist to the images by including newspaper reports of the incident, and paint, to capture movement within the picture.

As well as creating a range of designs for fans of Premier League teams and this season's cup giant-killers, he's also preparing to unveil two new ranges in time for this summer's World Cup.

Nottingham Forest fan Mr Cuthbert hopes his Notts creation will also prove popular, at least with one half of the city's football fans.

"I've a few mates who are Notts County fans so I've had no choice but to follow the Great Escape," the former West Bridgford School pupil said.

"I had to have Shaun Derry in the image, and also Sheehan as captain, player of the season and scorer of the penalty that kept them up."

Reaction to the image has been positive among Magpies fans, with some having already placed orders T-shirts.

It has also gained rave reviews on Twitter, with Alan Sheehan himself having also re-tweeted the image to his followers.

Lifelong Notts fan Stuart Brothers, 32, of Arnold, has been impressed by the image.

He said: "The artwork itself is something very different to others I'm used to seeing of Notts.

"It's a great piece of work. I'd love a print of it to put up on my wall."

Notts season ticket-holder Martin Naylor, 45, of West Bridgford, said: "All Notts fans know that Shaun Derry is a dyed-in-the-wool Magpie. This image clearly captures the emotion that he felt, as a fan and boss, in helping Notts survive."

A Notts County spokesman said the club would be interested in speaking with Mr Cuthbert about stocking the T-shirt in its shop.

The spokesman said: "We are always looking to capture some of the most iconic and memorable moments in the club's history and I think that this image perfectly sums up the passion, resilience and camaraderie of that day in Oldham. The Great Escape was all about togetherness, determination and success and I think that is what the artist has managed to encapsulate in this piece.

"The number of supporters that we've had contributing via email and social media, sending in their thoughts, their memories of that day and some of the photos and artwork that encapsulates it just goes to show how significant the end of the season was to our fans. It will certainly live long in the memory."

Are you planning something special to mark the World Cup? E-mail us at newsdesk@nottinghampost.com.

FOR a club with as long and interesting a history as Nottingham Forest it is somewhat surprising that they have only two FA Cup wins to their name, especially when you know how many times they have reached the semi-final stage.

Forest's FA Cup semi-final record is dismal, losing on nine of the 12 occasions they have made it that far, and these set-backs began as soon as they first entered the competition.

The FA Cup had been first contested in 1871-72 season when just 15 teams entered. These were mainly southern-based clubs, such as the Harrow Chequers and Hampstead Heathens, and one from Scotland, Queen's Park.

The Wanderers won the first final at the Kennington Oval beating the Royal Engineers in front of 2,000 spectators.

Meanwhile, Forest were still playing friendlies against local sides. Notts County were the first of the city's clubs to enter the FA Cup in 1877-78 and when Forest entered for the first time in 1878-79 along with 42 other teams, the two city rivals were drawn to face each other in the first round.

So on November 16, 1878, the Reds played their first truly competitive match, and beat Notts 3-1 at the Beeston Cricket Club ground in front of 500 spectators.

Fans travelled to Beeston by train and many of them stood on the station platform to get a better view. J P Turner scored Forest's first ever league or cup goal and further efforts from Goodyer and Smith sealed the win, with Owen replying for County.

The FA Cup seemed to bring out the best in the Reds and they followed up their initial win with victories over Sheffield FC (1-0), Old Harrovians (2-0) and Oxford University (2-1) to set up a semi-final duel with the Old Etonians at the Kennington Oval.

Forest were missing Jardine and Earp for the semi-final and went down 2-1.

Forest started the following season's FA Cup campaign in determined fashion. They again drew Notts County in the First Round, but swept away the Magpies 4-0.

The game, played at Trent Bridge, drew Forest's record crowd to date with 2,000 paying customers braving the miserable weather to watch proceedings. Further big scores came in the following rounds against Turton (6-0) and Blackburn Rovers (6-0).

Sam Weller Widdowson was leading the way with six goals in three games.

Forest then encountered the first of many FA Cup controversies in their history when they came to play Sheffield FC in the Fourth Round. After the two teams fought out a 2-2 draw the Yorkshire side refused to play extra-time and were disqualified. Forest then received a bye into the semi-finals and a meeting with Oxford University. Another trip to the Kennington Oval saw Forest edged out 1-0, while missing J P Turner due to injury.

It was the 1884-85 season before the Reds went on another exciting cup run. Fred Beardsley was in goal for the Cup games, having made his debut in 1881, but he was also playing in London as a founder of what would become the Arsenal club.

Beardsley kept a clean sheet in round one, a 5-0 win over Rotherham, and was superb in later wins against Sheffield Heeley (4-1), Sheffield Wednesday (2-1), Swifts (2-0) and Old Etonians (2-0) as Forest marched back to the semi-finals.

This time they were drawn against Scottish side Queen's Park. The game at Derby Cricket Ground drew 10,000 fans who witnessed a tight 1-1 draw, setting up a much anticipated replay at the Merchiston Castle Ground in Edinburgh.

A special train was laid-on to transport 800 Forest fans north of the border and there was a big build-up in the Press. The Lord Mayor of Nottingham was also present among the 15,000 crowd, the biggest ever seen in Edinburgh at the time.

The Scots took an undeserved lead when a header rebounded off the Forest post, hit Sam Widdowson and trickled over the line. Forest trailed 2-0 at half-time despite having most of the ball and creating the majority of chances with some fine passing play.

A third goal came late-on while Forest were pressing forward.

By the 1891-92 season Forest were playing in the Football Alliance, a rival competition to the Football League.

They were doing rather well and went on to clinch that championship by two points from Newton Heath (later re-named Manchester United).

The Reds were on for a memorable double when they battled to an FA Cup semi-final against West Bromwich Albion of the Football League.

A massive crowd of 25,000 packed into Wolves' Molineux ground as Forest held their League opponents to a 1-1 draw. Six days later they faced each other again at the same venue, with the same result. A second replay was required at Derby's County Ground.

This decisive match was played in atrocious conditions. After the game the referee stated that had either captain complained he would have postponed the game right away, but neither did.

West Brom won the toss, electing to defend with the snowstorm blowing against their backs. Such was the ferocity of the snowstorm Forest could hardly get across half-way and were 4-0 down in just 40 minutes. Then the snow began to die away and the Reds eventually lost 6-2 and attempts to get the match replayed were turned down.

Forest joined the Football League later in 1892 and by the 1897-98 season they were playing their last season at the newly re-named City Ground (previously known as the Town Ground) before moving across the river.

Convincing 4-0 wins over Grimsby Town and Sheffield Wednesday and a 3-2 win away to West Brom put them back in the semi-finals, this time to face Southampton. A 1-1 draw at Bramhall Lane, Sheffield, led to another semi-final replay, this time at Crystal Palace, venue for the final.

Forest scored two late goals in a blinding snowstorm, after the game had been stopped and then re-started, much to the annoyance of the Saints. The result stood and the Reds went on to beat Derby 3-1 and finally capture the elusive silverware.

Forest have only won the FA Cup once more during the last 116 years, losing further semi-finals in 1900 (Bury), 1902 (Southampton), 1967 (Tottenham Hotspur) and twice to Liverpool (in 1988 and 1989). Who knows when they might get the chance again?

CHILDREN with serious illnesses will benefit every time a meal, spa day or visit to the theatre is bought through a daily deal website.

OriginalGiving and the Nottingham Post have come together to help raise money and awareness for Nottingham Hospitals Charity who provide funding to help give the best possible care to young patients.

The online discount voucher business, based in West Bridgford, will give up to 25 per cent of the money earned from its offers to the charity based at the Queen's Medical Centre.

Director Andrew Wilding, of OriginalGiving, said: "Asking people to give up their hard-earned money for a worthy cause in the current economic climate is becoming increasingly difficult but with OriginalGiving we now have a new and exciting way to give that requires no sacrifice. You go out and have fun with the people you love for less and in doing so make a real difference to the lives of others.

"We've had a fantastic response from local businesses who see OriginalGiving as a great way to promote their products and services whilst raising money for good causes like the Nottingham Hospitals Charity. It is a win-win-win situation for everyone, so we sincerely hope that the people of Nottinghamshire join us and have a lot of fun."

OriginalGiving specialise in leisure and entertainment offers with up to 70 per cent off the normal selling price. The scheme is free to join and there is no obligation to buy an offer.

Once a deal is bought a percentage of the amount paid will go to the charity which is clearly shown on the website.

Nottingham Hospitals Charity provides more than £220,000 each year to enhance facilities and provide specialist equipment and medical research for young patients.

Head of service Stephanie Smith at Nottingham Children's Hospital said: "The funding that will be raised from this will be invaluable and we are so grateful to be the chosen charity. The sorts of things that the money will buy are so vast and range from new equipment to new staff.

"This extra money will give us much more freedom and our aim is for every child to benefit in one way or another.

"The OriginalGiving scheme is a fantastic idea and we hope people take advantage of it."

The charity also raises around £30,000 a year for complementary therapy which allows children and their parents to relax during treatment.

A further £20,000 a year is raised for Giggle Doctors. These trained entertainers and counsellors visit the children's hospital to cheer up patients with stories, songs, jokes and magic tricks.

The Nottingham Post has set an initial target of raising £100,000. Editor Mike Sassi said: "The deals OriginalGiving are offering are genuinely brilliant and, while they may be found elsewhere, no other site donates quite so much.

"Signing up is a win-win situation for everyone because the businesses gain more customers, the charity receives vital funding and the customers get great discounts. This is a brilliant way to help a worthy cause by enjoying yourself at great attractions in Notts."

To take advantage of the offers and raise money for the charity, visit the website. For more information call 0115 9627905 or email charity@nuh.nhs.uk.

Sinatra's Bar & Restaurant, Chapel Bar, Nottingham: Receive 25 per cent off the total bill for £5. £1.25 will go to Nottingham Hospitals Charity.

Blush Hair and Beauty, Mansfield Road, Daybrook: Save 73 per cent on a cut, restyle and blow-dry with Osmo Deep Conditioning Treatment for £11. £1.38 will go to Nottingham Hospitals Charity.

Calm Water Floatation Centre, Mabel Grove, West Bridgford: Save 44 per cent off a one hour floatation session for £25. £1.88 will go to Nottingham Hospitals Charity.

Nottingham Playhouse, Wellington Circus, Nottingham: Save 50 per cent on a one year Backstage Pass Membership for Two with free tickets to one performance for £17.50. £1.75 will go to Nottingham Hospitals Charity.

Wheelgate Park, White Post, Farnsfield, near Newark: Save 30 per cent on a Summer Day Pass for £9.44. £1.18 will go to Nottingham Hospitals Charity.

FAMILIES have given their thumbs-up to the new-look Holme Pierrepont Country Park as it opened for the first time.

The open weekend was held after a year of work on the site following Holme Pierrepont Leisure Trust taking over the day-to-day running of the site.

There has been a £6.7 million revamp of the centre, with new activities including an outdoor Laser Tag game, Segway hire and a 'skywalk'.

Barney Wainwright, 41, from West Bridgford, was among those visiting the new café for the first time yesterday.

He said: "My first impressions are that it's really nice – a much bigger café, more things to do, it's great.

"I think the Segway tours are a fantastic idea – having activities both on and off the water mean there's something for everyone."

And youngsters said they couldn't wait to have a go on the skywalk.

Edward Tew, 8, from Lady Bay, said: "It looks really cool to go up high and walk on the wobbly steps."

Brother Sam, 10, added: "It's good there's more for young people to do here now rather than just walking and a small park."

The centre has the backing of Olympic gold-medal canoeist Etienne Stott, who trains at the site.

"It's really nice that people can come down and watch world-class athletes at the centre as well as enjoying themselves," he said.

Brian Taylor, chairman of the trust, said: "We are thrilled that the improvements we have made so far in partnership with Nottinghamshire County Council are having such a positive impact and that the changing of the name of the centre has been so well received.

"We hope that with the introduction of the new family fun park and the park itself continues to attract more local people and visitors from further afield as a family destination day out."

John Knight, culture committee chairman at the county council, said the weekend was "the latest exciting chapter for the National Water Sports Centre, as it also prepares for another busy summer season."

NEW management took over the running of the National Water Sports Centre in March last year.

It followed a decision by Notts County Council to select the Pierrepont Leisure Trust to manage, operate and maintain the site at Holme Pierrepont through a £6.7 million investment package over the next 21 years, including a £1.6 million contribution from the council.

The centre cost the county council around £350,000 a year to run – and up to £800,000 from this year after Sport England stopped its funding.

As a result, the authority was keen to see help from outside and the deal with the Trust has led to the creation of 21 jobs.