AS Mark Regan described it, learning to ring church bells is a bit like learning to play bagpipes. Great fun if you're doing the doing, a lot less if you're doing the listening.

However, unlike the pipes, which certainly have the capacity to disrupt a home and possibly a street, tower bells can have a whole town putting fingers in its collective ear if they're rung badly.

They are the largest and loudest musical instrument in the world.

A good job then that the new teaching centre for potential bellringers in Worcester Cathedral has silent bells. Dumbbells, in fact.

Thanks to modern technology, bell ropes are attached to bell wheels, but minus the bells, and on to computers. The students don headsets and through them hear the sound they would be making if they were pulling the ropes for real.

That way their mistakes remain private and do not ring out over the county cricket ground, High Street and a large part of Sidbury too.

"It's a bit like a flight simulator," said Mark. "You can practise before you do it for real."

You can hit a few musical mountainsides in the privacy of your own headset and when you're ready, you can move on to the real thing.

"It doesn't take long before trainee ringers are ready to ring real bells," he added. "Then they can be heard by thousands across the city."

A fairly scary thought. Although tempered by the knowledge a little lady living in Barbourne can't tell who is up the cathedral tower doing the ringing. Who to blame or praise.

People who successfully complete the course are awarded a certificate and have the opportunity to join the Cathedral Guild of Bellringers, who are committed to ringing the bells every week.

In fact, you could hear the cathedral bells ringing out over Worcester a lot more than you used to.

"They are part of the city landscape," said Mark, "and I hope they can be rung more in the future to mark events, anniversaries, special occasions, times like those."

Traditionally, church bells were rung on Sundays, high days and perhaps holidays. But now there is a feeling that as we've got the best in Worcester, why not make more use of them.

And we do have the best in Worcester.

Because although it may not figure among the top five things you know about the Faithful City, it does have, courtesy of the cathedral, the fifth heaviest set of bells in the world and also the best ring of bells in the world.

Apparently there is nothing, anywhere, to match the cathedral bells' harmonic minor ten, a very haunting, mournful sound.

"The cathedral bells are one of Worcester's best kept secrets," Mark added.

They were installed in late 1869-early 1870 and recast in 1928.

The set comprises 15 ringing bells, which are hung in a frame high in the cathedral tower.

You reach them by climbing 137 steps, circling tight round to the left. Fit people these ringers.

Each bronze bell has a clapper inside, which swings with the bell and when the ringers are in full flow below, the bell room is no place to be unless you are extremely hard of hearing.

Ear defenders are essential if you want to avoid permanent damage.

That's why the "silent bell" system was developed for learners.

The new £25,000 teaching centre - funded by grants and donations - has been created in the cathedral tower's clock room, where the workings of the clock sit behind a glass case. There are six dumbbells attached to computers, which hang in three separate frames.

"Each pair of dumbbells is housed in a light steel cage, similar to a bell frame," Mark explained. "The design team comprised Jim Wheeler, Neil Sparey and Chris Phillips. They were built by Jim and Neil at NDS Engineering at Clifton-upon-Teme and Chris built the wheels. I don't think there is anything like it anywhere.

"Weights are attached to create the effect of a real ringing bell and a sensor sends a signal to the computer, which generates the sound of a real bell. The learner is given the sensation of ringing with a whole team of ringers.

"This facility means ringers are taught without making noise that can be heard outside. Pupils can practise for hours without causing a disturbance and practice time is really important.

"Until now, there was no history of teaching ringing in the cathedral," Chris added, "and in the past it attracted its ringers in a haphazard way. There was no succession planning and its ringers had little involvement in cathedral life."

Hopefully, that will now change and connections are being developed with three of Worcester's leading educational establishments, the King's School, Bishop Perowne CE College and the city's university.

But, of course, anyone is welcome and regular courses are held. Individual lessons can also be arranged and the cathedral guild is anxious to build up its number of instructors. A "train the trainer" workshop will be held later this year.

"Bellringing is great fun and many ringers get the chance to ring in towers all over the world," said Chris. "You don't need to be particularly strong nor do you need to be an experienced musician. If you can count, then you know all the mathematics you need to be a change ringer."

And the ability to climb 137 steps. Which isn't as bad as it sounds.

l To find out more about learning at Worcester Cathedral Teaching Centre for Bellringing, call Bernard Taylor, secretary of the cathedral bellringers, on 01531 650888.