Peter founded Ormiston Trust in memory of his sister, Fiona Ormiston Murray, after her tragic death in 1969. He is a chartered surveyor (commercial investment) and ex chair of the Westminster Volunteer Bureau and All Stars Youth Club. He has served on the boards of Paddington Charities and the Yapp Charitable Trust. For several years he worked as a volunteer for the Samaritans and as a prison visitor. He is the founder member of the Association of Charitable Foundations, founding chair of Ormiston Academies Trust and vice chair of Ormiston Families, and founded both Birmingham Ormiston Academy (BOA) and The Gateway Academy.