Keith Munro, the 68-year-old owner of Kings Road Yard in Pontcanna, Cardiff, has been diagnosed with a terminal spinal tumour after a year that also saw him and his wife Caroline prosecuted for noise breaches at the venue.
Noise complaints lead to prosecution
On May 23 last year the couple received letters from Cardiff council saying they had repeatedly breached noise rules at the yard. They pleaded guilty at Cardiff Magistrates' Court on June 15 this year and were sentenced on June 30. A district judge ordered them to pay just under £8,000 after admitting five offences of failing to abate a noise nuisance on separate occasions between June 20, 2025, and July 18, 2025. They were each fined £1,000 and ordered to pay a £400 victim surcharge and £2,500 in costs, leaving them out of pocket by £7,800.
Multiple complaints were made by neighbours about loud music and noise from customers congregating at the premises, which had a significant adverse impact on local residents' quality of life. The complaint that resulted in prosecution was received by the council in August 2024, with a written warning issued in October 2024. In May 2025 the pair were served with noise abatement notices requiring them to control excessive noise.
Terminal diagnosis
The day after the first letter arrived, Keith started getting serious back pain. He described living in “absolute agony”. An X-ray and MRI scan revealed a tumour on his spine, which spans three vertebrae. His diagnosis is terminal, and he has between six months and three years left to live. The tumour causes spinal cord compression, meaning he could be struck with paralysis from the waist down “at any moment”. He received eight doses of radiotherapy to reduce pain but said “it is only a matter of time” until he becomes housebound.
Keith, a renowned ceramicist whose work has been exhibited at the Museum of Modern Art in New York, the Pompidou Centre in Paris, and the Design Museum in London, said the profits from his pottery career paid for the purchase of the yard, which dates back to 1870.
Financial struggles
The couple lease many of the units in the yard and, despite its popularity, struggle to pay their bills. Keith said: “People come to the yard and think we’re making a fortune but we’re not. We struggle to pay our bills every month. Every month we wonder how we’re going to pay all our bills.”
Caroline, 66, a former French teacher, said juggling court proceedings and her partner’s illness was “very stressful”. She said: “You’re thinking: 'There’s problems at the yard on a regular basis plus there’s this court case we have to deal with. At the same time I need to look after my husband and look at ways to get him better.' That takes time and you run out of time and you run out of energy and you get very exhausted. Do you look after your husband and completely ignore the yard or do that strict minimum [for the yard]?”
Keith added: “We’re humans, there’s just so much we can take. We’re getting old. We’re not too young, we’re pensioners, and it’s stressful on our bodies.” Before the court case, a function room at the yard was closed and soundproofing was installed, including to the dance hall.
