Warm-hearted workers at a law firm have decided Christmas will last all year round for a group of Bermudians affected by AIDS.

They have collected thousands of dollars worth of gifts for them, and plan to carry on helping them through 1993.

Each floor in the offices of Appleby, Spurling & Kempe has adopted a family or individual selected by the AIDS support group STAR.

The group is made up of four single mothers with young children, and one single woman. The people involved have either lost someone to the HIV virus, or have become infected themselves.

Yesterday a delivery truck was loaded up with food, clothes and toys brought in by workers, plus their office Christmas trees.

The effort snowballed after the firm's 15 partners discussed their annual Christmas charity gift.

"Each Christmas we try to help an organisation that is doing something different,'' said AS&K general manager Mrs. Jeanne Atherden.

STAR was nominated by Social Services, and the firm arranged to send five families the trees, festive hampers and a gift.

Then the charity effort spread to the 200 staff, said Mrs. Atherden.

"We realised people were interested in doing things for others and thought they might like to participate as well.'' Each floor was given a profile of "their'' family to help, with ages of children, clothes sizes and birthdays.

"Once staff got involved in it and had the profiles of the families, they started to say they'd like to continue it. They're now working together on ideas. They have committed themselves to helping these families throughout the year.

"You think about things like this at Christmas but the feeling of trying to help other people should be spread throughout the year.

"I think we have a real charitably-minded staff. We recognise that life goes on after Christmas and the needs go on.

"If other organisations realised it's possible to do this they might want to do something similar.'' STAR director Mrs. Carolyn Armstrong said: "The truck full of gifts moved me to tears. AS&K have done a fabulous job.'' TRUCKLOAD OF LOVE -- Staff at law firm Appleby, Spurling & Kempe with some of the gifts they have donated to needy STAR families.