For most students, paying over the odds to live in dingy accommodation is part and parcel of university life.

But one cash-strapped Canadian decided to spend a year camping in a tent in a Stockport so he could save money on living costs while he studied in Manchester.

Evan Eames, from Montreal, asked strangers online if he could camp in their back gardens when he realised he could not afford to pay rent on top of international tuition fees for a Masters in Astrophysics at the University of Manchester.

Evan Eames camped for 10 months in a backgarden of a Stockport house to save money on living costs

Charley Mantak let the Masters student pitch in her backgarden in exchange for help with her GCSE revision

The 24-year-old went on to spend 10 months camping in the backgarden of Charley Mantack in the Stockport suburb of Heaton Chapel for free.

In exchange, he tutored the 34-year-old in maths and physics as she was studying for GCSEs at Stockport College.

Mr Eames said: 'It was a really fun experience, I am super glad I did it.

'There was some days I would wake up, there was birds around and reeds blowing in the wind, or you could hear the pitter-pattering on top of the tent some days of the rain.

'There were two days I thought it was not a good day. In February there was a really bad blizzard. When I got back it was quite late and the wind had picked up the tent and I had to re-pitch it.'

The 24-year-old carried on camping even through thick and thin - even when there was heavy snowfall

Mr Eames met his girlfriend while on his Masters course - and she would sometimes stay in the tent with him

In the winter months he wore two pairs of thermal pants, a sweater, a onesie and a jacket.

Inside the tent he kept some food, shelves for his toothbrush and floss, headlamp, book, sleeping bag and a mat, with his laptop locked up safely in his university office.

He even met his girlfriend on his course and she sometimes stayed with him in the tent.

The pair are planning to maintain a long-distance relationship as she will be back home to India after graduation, while he will be moving to Paris to study for a PhD.

Miss Mantack nicknamed her guest her 'physics gnome', saying: 'I like weird out of the ordinary things'

Miss Mantack would often offer her spare bedroom when the snow was heavy, but the Canadian was determined to carry on camping.

The 34-year-old, who nicknamed Mr Eames her physics gnome, said: 'I was looking for a flat mate. I saw he wanted to stay in a back garden and I thought, why not?