Mark Arnold first set eyes on his wife Kate in candlelight, but it was hardly the most secluded of settings.

The pair met when they joined hundreds of demonstrators at a peace vigil on the eve of the Iraq War.

Carfax Tower has held a special place for them ever since.

And when the couple, who have now have a 15-month-old son Torin, heard of fundraising plans for a plaque to honour Oxford's peace campaigners, they recognised the chance to mark the spot where they forged their own alliance.

Mark, a composer and record producer, has stepped in to pay £300 towards the stone plaque, which it is hoped will be laid in Cornmarket.

The other £1,000 needed has been donated by one of the Arnolds' friends, Paul Greening, who until recently was employed as a United Nations worker in Afghanistan.

Retired priest David Partridge, a former Marine Commando, has been pressing for four years for a peace plaque to recognise the campaigning efforts of conscientious objectors over the past century, including present day protesters against the war in Iraq.

The plaque would bear the words: "To honour those of any faith or conviction who in conscience reject warfare and violence and seek another path."

But Mr Partridge, 70, of Ambleside Drive, Headington, had only raised £500 when he spoke to the Oxford Mail last month.

The article resulted in the Greenings and the Arnolds coming forward to help out.

Mr Arnold said: "The plaque would be a nice way of remembering how we met." They now have a 15-month old son Torin.

Mr Greening, 56, of Ferry Road, Marston, who worked to boost education and democracy in Afghanistan, said: "In Oxford there are a lot of memorials for those involved in war. Without in any way wanting to belittle the efforts of brave men and women, it would be good to recognise those down the years have stood up against wars they consider to be unjust."

Mr Partridge said he would be writing to both the city and county councils setting out his idea.

City councillor Alan Armitage said: "It seems like a very good idea to me. Sometimes we need to be reminded that we should not take peace for granted."

The Lord Mayor of Oxford, Jim Campbell, said: "The idea of a plaque is a very good one. It is right that our generation should fight back against the way conscientious objectors were treated. But I would not want this to become a confrontational issue."