If you were in the UK, the people to contact would have been FX Copyroom. They are the experts in this kind of thing. I really wouldn't trust it to anyone who hasn't performed this operation many many times. You might only get one chance to play the tape before it's gone for good so there is no safety net.

Here is an article about what is involved - http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/sep05/articles/fxcopyroom.htm